Keeping cancer from coming back

Should cancer survivors take vitamin supplements? Aspirin may be a better bet.

About 12 million Americans are cancer survivors, and the number is almost certainly going to increase because of early detection, better treatment, and an aging population. After the first encounter with the disease and the ordeal of treatment, attention swivels to what can be done to prevent a second one. As many as a third of cancer survivors start taking vitamin and mineral supplements. But should they? The American Cancer Society recommends staying away from high-dose supplements and sticking to the standard multivitamin just to fill in the nutritional gaps left by less-than-perfect diets. Other cancer organizations are similarly cautious.