POPULAR alternative medicines such as fish oil might do cancer patients more harm than good.
THE 10 most commonly asked about complementary medicines at a major Melbourne cancer hospital were all found to have the potential to disturb chemotherapy, radiation therapy or surgery.
The items were fish oil, turmeric, coenzyme Q10, milk thistle, green tea, ginger, lactobacillus, licorice, astragalus and reishi mushroom. The study excluded vitamins and minerals. Senior pharmacist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre’s medicines information centre, Sally Brooks, said when these products were taken as part of a normal diet, they were unlikely to cause problems, but bigger amounts could. “These products may increase the effects of chemotherapy and put the patient at risk of toxicity, or decrease the efficacy of chemotherapy,” she said. “Those that contain high levels of anti-oxidants may interfere with both chemotherapy and radiation therapy.” Associate Professor Sandro Porceddu, president of the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia, said although some complementary medicines might benefit patients, they could also undermine treatment. “Until we know more, it’s best to err on the side of caution and for patients to discuss with their healthcare provider any complementary or alternative therapies they are using or considering using,” he said.