Our 24/7 cancer helpline provides information and answers for people dealing with cancer. We can connect you with trained cancer information specialists who will answer questions about a cancer diagnosis and provide guidance and a compassionate ear.
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Our highly trained specialists are available 24/7 via phone and on weekdays can assist through online chat. We connect patients, caregivers, and family members with essential services and resources at every step of their cancer journey. Ask us how you can get involved and support the fight against cancer. Some of the topics we can assist with include:
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For medical questions, we encourage you to review our information with your doctor.
- Hormone Therapy
- Precision or Personalized Medicine
- Off-label Drug Use
- Tumor-agnostic Drugs
- Hyperthermia
- How Lasers Are Used to Treat Cancer
- What Are Complementary and Integrative Methods?
- Where Can I Find Trustworthy Info on Complementary and Integrative Methods?
- Which Complementary Methods Are Likely Safe?
- Will My Insurance Cover Complementary and Integrative Therapies?
- How Do I Talk to My Doctor About Complementary and Integrative Methods?
- Tumor Treating Fields (TTF)
Talking with Your Doctor About Dietary Supplements
No matter what kind of cancer treatment you are getting, talk with your doctor before taking any new dietary supplement . If you have been taking supplements and want to keep taking them, it’s important that your doctor knows this, too.
Gather as much information as you can on the dietary supplement you are thinking about using. Then, talk with your cancer care team about it. Ask for their professional opinion as to whether taking the supplement is safe and medically sound. Also ask how it might be safely used along with your cancer treatment.
When talking to members of your cancer care team about using supplements, ask them:
- Could the supplement provide me with some benefit?
- Is it safe for me to take this supplement?
- Could the supplement cause problems with my cancer treatment or other medicines I’m taking?
- If I can take the supplement, how much should I take? How often should I take it? How long can I take it?
- What side effects should I watch for?
Remember to make sure that your doctors know about all other medicines, vitamins, and supplements you’re already taking, as well. Some supplements can interact with your cancer treatment. For example, antioxidant supplements, such as vitamins C and E, might reduce the effectiveness of some chemotherapy or radiation treatments.
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as editors and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
Supplement Your Knowledge: Dietary Supplement Education Initiative
Website: www.fda.gov/food/information-consumers-using-dietary-supplements/supplement-your-knowledge
This site includes fact sheets and videos about dietary supplements for the public, educators and healthcare professionals. Materials for the public are available in English and Spanish.
Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health. What You Need to Know: Dietary Supplements. Accessed at http://ods.od.nih.gov/HealthInformation/ on May 11, 2021.
Last Revised: August 30, 2021
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.
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