Nutritional Supplements & Complementary/Alternative Medicine by Prostate & Breast Cancer Patients

Use of Nutritional Supplements and CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) by Prostate and Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy

This study was a survey to determine the frequency of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) use in patients recently diagnosed with breast or prostate cancer who were starting radiation therapy. The survey was repeated at three time points to assess changes in CAM use over time.

Inclusion/Exclusions

• Men that have histologically proven carcinoma of the prostate and have chosen some form of radiation therapy as their primary therapy for prostate cancer.
• Women who are undergoing external beam radiation therapy to the breast as primary or adjuvant therapy are eligible.
• All participants must be able to read and write.
• Subjects with dementia and mental retardation that complicates completing the questionnaires will not be enrolled.
• Subjects with known metastatic disease will be excluded.
• There are no age restrictions for this study.