Table 5.
Therapeutic controversies over use of vitamin E supplement during cancer treatment.
| Author | Year | Study design | Sample size | Review findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Talib, Ahmed Jum’AH, et al. | 2024 | Systematic review | 158 articles | Vitamin E intake prevent free radicals from damaging the cells and tissues during radiation and chemotherapy. |
| Meliante, Petrella, et al. | 2023 | Systematic review | Clinical trial (Phase II-45 patients) | Taking 400 IU of α-tocopherol daily prevents secondary cancers and recurrence among smokers diagnosed with HNSCC. |
| George and Abrahamse | 2020 | Systematic review | 130 articles | Vitamin E intake was found to decrease the chance of recurrence among patients with breast cancer. |
| Harvie | 2014 | Systematic review | 16 RCTs | Vitamin E intake decreases radiation toxicity in head and neck cancer patients, but increases the risk of recurrence especially in smokers due to the effects of increased oxygen-dependent radiation treatment. |
| Zirpoli, McCann, et al. | 2017 | Prospective cohort | 1, 225 participants | Vitamin E intake did not affect chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy among breast cancer patients. |
| Nechuta, Lu et al. | 2011 | Prospective cohort | 4, 877 participants | Vitamin E intake decreased the risk of death by 18% and recurrence by 22%. |
| Suhail, Bilal, et al. | 2012 | RCT | 40 patients | Vitamin E intake has been found to reduce DNA damage in breast cancer patients who underwent chemotherapy. |
| Kim, Chung, et al. | 2016 | RCT | 45 patients | Short-term vitamin E intake exerts a protective effect against radiation-induced xerostomia. |
| Li, Lin, et al. | 2021 | Systematic review and meta-analyses | 8 studies (17, 062 patients) | There is no significant difference in overall survival or the use of antioxidant supplements during chemotherapy. |
| Cockfield and Schafer | 2019 | Clinical trial | 35,500 males | High vitamin E intakes have been linked to a 17% increase in the risk of prostate cancer. |
| Donnelly, Appathurai et al. | 2022 | Systematic review | 16 RCTs | Alpha-tocopherol has been linked to a higher likelihood of cancer recurrence among head and neck cancer patients. |
| Xin, Jiang et al. | 2022 | Longitudinal cohort study | 355,543 participants | A higher risk of bladder cancer was linked to elevated levels of vitamin E in the blood. |
| Zhang Yi, et al. | 2023 | Umbrella review | 27 articles | No significant association between vitamin E supplements and breast cancer development, and the use of a single antioxidant during chemotherapy did not show significant associations. |
| Story, Sabin et al. | 2019 | Guest post | 1 reviewed article | No significant association between the use of a single antioxidant, vitamin E, and chemotherapy-related adverse effects. |
| Integrative | 2020 | Systematic review | 7 articles | Alpha-tocopherol has been linked in few clinical studies to decrease radiation-induced tissue damage, but others suggest an raised risk of cancer recurrence. |