Apparently vitamin E (oil) on the skin is OK -- we asked about this (it helps with skin irritation) and no-one at Hopkins thought it would have any negative effect at all, as so little would be absorbed.

There have been some recent papers questioning the "standard operating procedure" of not taking antioxidants during treatment so the last word has not been said on that subject. However, in the interests of erring on the side of caution (there is a lot at stake!), you should stop oral antioxidants and resume after treatment is over.

Interestingly enough, the commercial liquid formulae many HNC patients use (Nutren, Boost, etc.) contain quite a bit of E and C (and other antioxidants) and I calculated once that using 5-6 cans a day would give one as much of these vitamins as most multivitamin tablets.

Gail