Consumption and supplementation of vitamin E in breast cancer risk, treatment, and outcomes: A systematic review with meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: Robust evidence have shown diet or dietary components in playing a direct role on cancer chemoprevention such as breast cancer (BC), and also prevention against cancer therapy side effects. In this context, vitamin E isoforms have been associated with tumor suppression pathways, mainly related to proliferation, invasion, metastasis, tumor metabolism and chemoresistance.

Objective: Therefore, we performed a systematic review with meta-analysis to assess the effects of vitamin E consumption and/or supplementation on breast cancer risk, treatment, and outcomes.

Methods: The studies were selected in the electronic databases PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus and Web of Science.

Results: A total of 22 articles were selected, which nine manuscripts we perform the meta-analysis. The summary effect estimate did not indicate any significant association between consumption versus non-consumption of total vitamin E and breast cancer risk. After assessing the effects of vitamin E supplementation on breast cancer risk, only two had data for comparison and vitamin E supplementation presented no impact on breast cancer risk. However, the summary effect estimate from the included studies indicated that vitamin E consumption was inversely associated with breast cancer recurrence in the control group. There are no significant results regarding dietary or supplemental vitamin E intake and BC risk reduction.

Conclusion: Finally, regarding recurrence, survival, and mortality, the results indicated that vitamin E consumption was inversely associated with breast cancer recurrence, although no association was found for breast cancer mortality.

Keywords: Alpha-tocopherol; Breast tumor; Mortality; Prevention; Recurrence.