Use of Dietary Supplements Before, During and After Treatment for Ovarian Cancer: Results from the Ovarian Cancer Prognosis and Lifestyle (OPAL) Study

The use of dietary supplements by cancer patients is common but contentious, particularly during chemotherapy. Few studies have investigated this for ovarian cancer. In a prospective study of women with ovarian cancer, dietary supplement use was collected through questionnaires. Data on the use of supplements were available for 421 women before diagnosis, during chemotherapy, and after chemotherapy completion. Predictors of changes in supplement use were investigated using logistic regression. The use of ≥1 supplement pre-diagnosis, during, and after chemotherapy completion was reported by 72%, 57%, and 68% of women, respectively. Multivitamins, vitamin D, and fish oils were the most commonly used supplements at all time points. The supplements most commonly discontinued during treatment were fish oils (69% of pre-diagnosis users) and multivitamins (53% of users); while 9%-10% of pre-diagnosis non-users initiated vitamin D and multivitamins. Predictors of supplement initiation during chemotherapy included pre-diagnosis use of medications, such as statins (Odds Ratio, OR = 4.12, 95% confidence interval, CI = 1.28-13.3), antidepressants (5.39, 1.18-24.7), acetaminophen (3.13, 1.05-9.33), and NSAIDs (2.15, 0.81-5.72). Other factors included younger age, university education, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and/or experiencing fatigue during treatment, although not statistically significant. In conclusion, a high proportion of women with ovarian cancer reported using supplements at all time points.