I am currently undergoing 6 weeks of pre-operative radiation with chemotherapy (24/7 pump) and I am just on my second week. I will have my surgery 6 weeks after completion of the radiation/chemo regimen and will have another post-operative chemotherapy..... it's still a long road ahead of me.

Since my diagnosis in August and until now, I have been taking Vitamin E (1000 mg), C (1000 mg) and calcium supplements....... my question is, should I continue taking these supplements while on chemo/radiation treatment? I asked my medical oncologist this question and he said it's fine. He said the only time he would object to it is if I was taking mega doses (like 5000 mg per day) of these supplements.

Then yesterday, the nurse to the radiation oncologist said that I should stop taking these supplements as they inhibit the effectiveness of the chemo/radiation treatments?

Any thoughts on this?

- The only thing I can offer is Franzi's oncologist suggested 200 IU of B-6 to help support the immune system. This chemo regimen is so hard on the immune system.

-theoretically, high doses of antioxidants can reduce the effectiveness of radiation. But there is no hard evidence. A more important question is "Why take them in the first place"?

-The side effects of 5FU seem fairly mild (compared to many others that I've researched) http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=4007

If your blood counts start getting low, take extra precautions in public places and/or around sick (flu/colds) people. I was in a crowded waiting room the other day and there were people coughing and sniffling and one woman held a hankie over her nose and mouth for protection until she got in to see the doctor and then she covered up again, when exiting through the waiting room.