Some cancer patients take biotin supplements hoping to improve hair and nail growth, but specialists at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center warn that high-dose biotin can interfere with certain blood tests used in cancer monitoring, potentially producing misleading results that could affect follow-up care.
Hair loss during cancer treatment can prompt patients to try over-the-counter supplements marketed for hair regrowth, including biotin, according to physicians at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
Brittany Dulmage, an oncodermatologist at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, said the benefits of oral biotin for cancer-related hair loss are uncertain, while the risk of lab-test interference can be overlooked.
"People have the misconception that biotin supplements are harmless and there's no reason not to take them. The reality is that the supplements may cause inaccurate lab results, resulting in a delay or change in patients' treatment plans," Dulmage said.
Dulmage said many patients start biotin after learning about it online or through word of mouth. She also said biotin can interfere with some blood tests used in monitoring cancers—including tests associated with prostate, thyroid, ovarian and breast cancers—because certain assays use biotin-based chemistry.
According to Dulmage, this interference may make some results appear artificially lower—such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)—and may make some reproductive hormone readings, including estrogen and testosterone, appear artificially higher.
She advised that patients who continue using biotin discuss it with their care team ahead of lab work; in the ScienceDaily report, she recommended stopping biotin at least 72 hours before scheduled blood tests when possible. She also noted that not all testing is planned, and said biotin can interfere with troponin testing as well.
The Ohio State report cites a paper authored by Dulmage and colleagues in JCO Oncology Practice urging clinicians to discuss hair loss and the possibility of biotin-related lab interference with patients.
