Many Cancer Patients Use Alternative MedicineMost people undergoing
treatment for cancer also use some sort of complementary or alternative
medicine, like vitamins, herbs and meditation, but many do not tell
their physicians, according to a new study.
The findings are cause for some concern, since some vitamins and herbs
may cause harmful interactions with cancer drugs, so it is important
for patients and doctors to discuss openly complementary and alternative
medicine, according to the study's authors.
"Whether we call these approaches medicines, alternatives, unconventional
or complementary approaches, or natural herbal remedies, interest in
them is here to stay," states a team of researchers led by Dr.
Mary Ann Richardson, who was at the University of Texas-Houston School
of Public Health at the time of the study.
Physicians need to "improve communication and drop the don't ask,
don't tell' approach," Richardson, who is now at the National Center
for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, in Bethesda, Maryland, told
Reuters Health. According to Richardson, about 75% of patients in the
survey wanted more information about complementary and alternative medicine,
and about half of those would like to get this information from their
physicians. She also noted that it is important to catalog the use of
complementary and alternative treatments, particularly vitamins and
high-dose antioxidants, since they may interfere with medical treatment.
Richardson and her colleagues surveyed the use of unconventional medicine
by 453 people who were undergoing outpatient treatment for cancer at
one of eight clinics at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer
Center, in Houston. More than 99% of the patients had heard of complementary
and alternative medicine, and about 83% had tried at least one approach,
the researchers report in the July issue of the Journal of Clinical
Oncology. The most commonly used alternatives included spiritual practices
like prayer, vitamins and herbs.
Even when the researchers excluded spiritual practices, psychotherapy
and support groups, more than two-thirds reported using at least one
unconventional therapy. Of these patients, 38% had used herbs like essiac
tea, mistletoe and Ayurveda, while about 60% had used vitamins, including
melatonin and shark cartilage.
Women, younger people, those who had undergone cancer surgery or who
were poor were more likely to use alternative treatments. People provided
a range of reasons for choosing unconventional therapy, including a
desire to improve quality of life, to boost the immune system and to
prolong life. A substantial proportion of people had higher hopes for
alternative treatment, with almost 38% reporting that they hoped it
would cure their cancer.
Many doctors remained in the dark about their patients' use of complementary
and alternative medicine, according to the report. About 60% of participants
said that they had not discussed the topic of alternative and complementary
medicine with a physician. But when the researchers asked about specific
alternative treatments, about 38% of patients said that they had not
told a physician.
The study does not appear to be an isolated case, since another study
appearing in the same journal also indicates that many cancer patients
use alternative and complementary therapy without informing a physician.
In the study, which included 411 breast cancer survivors living in Ontario,
Canada, about two-thirds said that they had used some sort of unconventional
treatment, but just under half had told a physician.
SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Oncology 2000;18:2505-2521.
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