Supplement use associated with greater survival, less recurrence in breast cancer patients

On December 21, 2010, the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention published the discovery of researchers at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and the Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention that vitamin supplement use during the first six months following a breast cancer diagnosis is associated with a reduced risk of disease recurrence and death compared to the risks experienced by nonusers.

The study included 4,877 Chinese women with invasive breast cancer enrolled in the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study. Participants were limited to those who underwent surgery for their tumors and for whom the current diagnosis of breast cancer was their first. Interviews conducted an average of 6.5 months after diagnosis provided information on the use of vitamin supplements during treatment.

During a 4.1 year average follow-up period, 532 participants had a recurrence of their disease, 389 participants died from breast cancer and 55 from other causes. Use of any vitamins was associated with a lower risk of breast cancer recurrence or death over follow-up. Those who used vitamin C for more than 3 months had a 38 percent lower risk of recurrence and a 44 percent lower risk of dying than those who did not report using the vitamin, and for vitamin E use over 3 months, the risk of recurrence and death were 48 and 43 percent lower.

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