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The Use of Dietary Supplements in Oncology

  • Integrative Care (C Lammersfeld, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

The use of dietary supplements among patients affected by cancer is extensive, with an estimated 20-90 % of patients using these products. Their use of these products is often not shared with the treating physician. This is because patients perceive or believe that their physicians are indifferent or negative toward the use of dietary supplements. As a result, patients may obtain information about dietary supplements from unreliable sources, exposing themselves to unnecessary risks. Since there are limited scientific data on the efficacy and safety of many dietary supplements, advising patients about when to use them during the course of illness is a clinical challenge. Improving the communication process between the health care team and their patients in this area is critical. We describe a practical patient-centered approach to managing dietary supplement use in cancer care. This approach makes use of all available scientific data relating to the safety and efficacy of these supplements combined with how to have an open, patient-centered discussion with patients about their needs and expectations.

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Conflict of Interest

Moshe Frenkel and Victor Sierpina declare that they have no conflict of interest

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, USA

    Moshe Frenkel & Victor Sierpina

  2. The Integrative Medicine Unit, The Institute of Oncology, Meir Medical Center, Hashoftim 1 B, Zichron Yaacov, Kfar Saba, 30900, Israel

    Moshe Frenkel

Authors
  1. Moshe Frenkel
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  2. Victor Sierpina
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Correspondence to Moshe Frenkel.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Integrative Care

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Frenkel, M., Sierpina, V. The Use of Dietary Supplements in Oncology. Curr Oncol Rep 16, 411 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11912-014-0411-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11912-014-0411-3

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