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Cancer Prevention Overview (PDQ®)
Patient VersionHealth Professional VersionLast Modified: 06/25/2009



What is Prevention?






Carcinogenesis






Risk Factors






Interventions That are Known to Lower Cancer Risk







Interventions That Are Not Known to Lower Cancer Risk






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Changes to This Summary (06/25/2009)






Questions or Comments About This Summary






About PDQ



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Interventions That Are Not Known to Lower Cancer Risk

Key Points for This Section


Vitamin and dietary supplements have not been shown to prevent cancer.

An intervention is a treatment or action taken to prevent or treat disease, or improve health in other ways.

There is not enough proof that taking multivitamin and mineral supplements or single vitamins or minerals can prevent cancer. The following vitamins and mineral supplements have been studied, but have not been shown to lower the risk of cancer:

The use of supplements to prevent cancer is still being studied.

See the following PDQ summaries for more information:

New ways to prevent cancer are being studied in clinical trials.

Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. Check NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry for cancer prevention trials that are now accepting patients.

See the NCI Web site for more information about cancer prevention.

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