Are vits. C and E good for combatting cancer? ?

This morning's newspaper reported that they were worthless. Then there is Selenium. I heard and saw Peter Jennings actually rave about how effective Selenium is for guarding against cancer. And that's what killed the news commentator - lung cancer. And Zinc for enlarged prostates. Any proof? The list goes on. So my question is, Are we being bombarded by new time medicine men? The old timers sold snake oil and opium derivatives. The new health food merchants have all the diseases covered. From A to Z. Your commentary, please. Thank you. Mike