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Vitamins May Play Role in Treatment of GI Cancers, Studies Suggest

ORLANDO, FL—Vitamins and other complementary alternative medical therapies may play a role in the treatment of patients with GI cancers, two new studies suggest. In one study, Roswell Park Cancer Institute researchers found that patients taking chemotherapy for colorectal cancer are at significantly increased risk for severe vitamin D deficiency. “The findings suggest that patients with colorectal cancer, especially those receiving chemotherapy, should be considered for aggressive vitamin D replacement strategies,” said senior author Marwan G. Fakih, MD, a staff physician at Roswell Park and Associate Professor of Oncology at the University of Buffalo. In the second study, high-potency vitamins, melatonin supplements, and other complementary remedies helped to relieve debilitating pain and fatigue in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Both studies were presented here at the Fifth Annual Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, cosponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Gastroenterological Association Institute, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, and the Society of Surgical Oncology.