There are lots of stories, especially on the internet, about ‘natural’ treatments for cancer, such as herbs or vitamins or other compounds.  These usually claim to help fight cancer by boosting the immune system. There is no evidence that they do this, however, some people find taking vitamin supplements or other natural remedies helps them to cope with their surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy.

Some natural remedies can interact with prescription drugs and lead to complications (for example, a number of herbal remedies can affect blood thinning drugs, like warfarin, which could be dangerous), so it is best to talk to your doctors or nurses if you are thinking of taking any of them.

Cancer doctors think that natural treatments should only be used in addition to conventional cancer treatment, and not as an alternative, as virtually none of these treatments have been shown to work.