Results of a longitudinal observational cohort study were recently published in European Urology Oncology, describing the association between multivitamin use and the recurrence of prostate cancer. This study included nearly 1400 men with nonmetastatic cancer who underwent radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy and were enrolled in the Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor (CaPSURE) study. The primary outcome was prostate cancer recurrence.
Sixty-two percent of the men were current multivitamin (MV) users, compared to 16% past MV users and 22% never users. Among the men currently taking an MV, there was a 49% lower risk for recurrence over a median follow-up of nearly 5 years, adjusted for other variables (such as smoking, age, etc.). A stratified analysis found that the apparent reduction in recurrence risk was even stronger among men with a more aggressive cancer (grade 2, Gleason 3+4, or greater), in which the risk for recurrence was 73% lower. Among men with grade 1 (Gleason 3+3), the association was no longer significant.
While this was not a controlled trial, it is the first to suggest a benefit of multivitamin use for men diagnosed with prostate cancer, at least those with grade 2 or higher. A large controlled trial (Physician’s Health Study II) did not find a significant difference in the initial incidence of prostate cancer among men taking multivitamins compared to placebo, though there was an overall reduction in cancer risk. An observational study published in 2024 did not find a survival benefit with multivitamin use for men with prostate cancer, though it was also not a controlled trial.