The Journal of the American Medical Association reported this week the results of the Physicians’ Health Study II, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on vitamins E and C involving 14,641 male physicians in the US aged 50 years or older.
Conclusion - Neither vitamin E nor C supplementation reduced the risk of prostate or total cancer. These data provide no support for the use of these supplements for the prevention of cancer in middle-aged and older men. JAMA, 2009; 301(1):52-62
Cancer, Diet/Nutrition, Prostate Cancer
Dr. Soloway, professor and chairman of urology at the University of Miami recently reported a retrospective study of 243,082 men treated between 1988 and 2003 that showed those who had undergone external beam radiation therapy, brachytherapy, or a combination of the two had a statistically significant increased risk of developing a bladder tumor or rectal cancer compared with those who had undergone radical prostatectomy. However, the absolute risk of developing either of these cancers remains low.
Cancer, Prostate Cancer
MedWire (12/30, Davenport) reported, “The clinicopathologic characteristics and biochemical outcomes of prostate cancer treated with brachytherapy are similar in men with a positive family history and sporadic disease,” according to research published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology. For the research, “Christopher Peters and colleagues from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York studied 1738 patients with…prostate cancer treated with low-dose-rate brachytherapy alone or in combination with external beam radiation therapy or hormone ablation.” The investigators found that “a family history of prostate cancer in a first-degree relative was observed in 11 percent of the patients.” But, “there were no significant differences between patients with and without a family history of prostate cancer in terms of being at low, intermediate, and high risk of biochemical recurrence.” Furthermore, “multivariate analysis revealed that family history was not associated with biochemical control. However, biochemical control was predicted by use of hormones, high biological effective dose, initial prostate-specific antigen value, and Gleason score.”
Cancer
The U.K.’s Guardian (12/30, Randerson) reported, “Anti-oxidant supplements do not reduce your risk of developing cancer, according to a trial involving more than 7,500 women,” which was conducted by Brigham and Women’s Hospital researchers. In fact, “vitamins C, E, beta-carotene, or placebo,” whether taken in combination or “on their own…did not” provide notable protection. The finding is a blow to “beloved…health food shops and alternative therapists” that tout “anti-oxidant pills…as preventive therapies to ward off everything from cancer to the signs of aging.”
Cancer