Vitamin E Supplements in Preventing Cancer in Patients at Risk of Prostate Cancer or Who Have Prostate Cancer

OBJECTIVES: * Determine the effect of tocopherol supplementation on plasma and urine levels of α-, γ-, and δ-tocopherols, PSA, and prostaglandin E\_2 by comparing the blood and urine samples collected before and after the supplementation in patients with prostate cancer. * Test the hypothesis that the supplementation reduced oxidative and nitrosative stress by measuring plasma levels of F\_2-isoprostane, C-reactive protein, and 3-nitrotyrosine as well as urinary levels of 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG). * Determine the levels of α-, γ-, and δ-tocopherols in prostate tissues and analyze immunohistochemically (IHC) for cell proliferation, apoptosis, cyclooxygenase-2, 8-OHdG, and 3-nitropyrosine levels in prostate cancer/tissue slides. OUTLINE: Patients are randomized into 1 of 3 arms. * Arm I: Patients receive no supplementation. * Arm II: Patients receive oral high γ-tocopherol vitamin E supplementation once daily for 1 week. * Arm III: Patients receive oral high γ-tocopherol vitamin E supplementation once daily for 2 weeks. Blood, urine, and tissue samples are collected periodically and analyzed for oxidative/nitrosative stress and other markers (i.e., F2-isoprostane, 8-OHdG, 3-nitrotyrosine, prostaglandin E2, C-reactive protein, and PSA), biomarkers in prostate tumors and nontumorous tissues (i.e., 8-OHdG, 3-nitrotyrosine, and cyclooxygenase-2) by IHC, and pharmacokinetics by high-performance liquid chromatography.