Table 1.
Selected CAM approaches considered for the prevention and treatment of cancer.
| Category | CAM treatment | Effect/concerns | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prevention | Antioxidants | Decreased cancer risk, food more than supplement | (24) |
| Fiber | Decreased risk of colorectal and other cancers | (25) | |
| Folic acid | Increased, unchanged, and decreased risk of cancer | (26) | |
| Ginseng | Decreased risk of breast, colon, lung, and other cancers | (27) | |
| Grape seed extract | Antioxidant, decreased risk of cancer | (28) | |
| Green tea | Decreased risk of oral–digestive, prostate, lung, and other cancers | (29) | |
| Lycopene/tomato | Antioxidant, decreased risk of prostate cancer | (30, 31) | |
| Selenium | Decreased cancer risk if not selenium deficient, decreased recurrence | (32, 33) | |
| Turmeric/curcumin | Antioxidant, in vitro effects | (34) | |
| Vitamin C | Decreased risk of breast cancer recurrence | (35) | |
| Vitamin D | Increased, unchanged, and decreased risk of cancer depending on site, decreased recurrence | (36–40) | |
| Vitamin E | Decreased risk of breast cancer recurrence | (35) | |
| Treatment | Antioxidants | Possible interference with chemotherapy, possible tissue protection | (41) |
| Laetrile | Putative cancer treatment, no established benefit, risk of cyanide toxicity | (42) | |
| Milk thistle/silymarin | Chemotherapy adjunct, antioxidant, antiproliferative | (43) | |
| Mistletoe | Chemotherapy adjunct, benefits not established | (44) | |
| Omega-3 fatty acids | Possible chemotherapy enhancement | (45) | |
| Turmeric/curcumin | Chemotherapy adjunct, antioxidant | (34, 46) | |
| Vitamin C | High dose intravenous only | (47) | |
| Vitamin D | Improved response to immunotherapy in vitamin D-deficient patients | (48) | |
| Immune support | Maitake | Potential immune stimulation and anti-cancer effects | (49) |
| Reishi | Potential immune stimulation and anti-cancer effects | (50) | |
| Shiitake | Potential immune stimulation and anti-cancer effects | (51) | |
| Symptomatic | Essiac tea | Quality of life, benefits not established | (52) |
| Ginger | Nausea | (53, 54) | |
| Ginseng | Fatigue | (55) | |
| Marijuana | Nausea, pain | (56) | |
| Mistletoe | Quality of life, benefits not established | (44) | |
| Omega-3 fatty acids | Cachexia | (45) | |
| Selenium | Protection from radiation effects | (32) |