Background
The use of dietary supplements by cancer patients is common but contentious, particularly during chemotherapy. Survivors often take supplements in the hope these will improve their wellbeing, alleviate chemotherapy side effects, boost immune function, and perhaps improve their long-term survival. There is, however, a growing body of evidence suggesting that supplements, particularly antioxidants, might interact with conventional chemotherapeutic treatments and thus be detrimental to health. In recent analyses of patients with breast cancer enrolled in a randomised clinical trial, there was a suggestion that those who used multivitamin supplements experienced less neurotoxicity during treatment while those who used supplements other than multivitamins had poorer survival.
Aim
To evaluate the relation between use of dietary supplements, particularly antioxidants, during and after treatment for ovarian cancer and (i) wellbeing and (ii) survival.