Complementary alternative medicine use amongst breast cancer patients in the Northern region of peninsular Malaysia.

Aishah Knight,Yen Siew Hwa,Hasnah Hashim

doi:10.7314/apjcp.2015.16.8.3125

Abstract

Breast cancer is a common cancer affecting women in Malaysia and the use of complementary/ alternative medicine (CAM) has been associated with delays in getting treatment. The aim of the study was to explore the use of CAM and the influencing factors in the Northern region of Peninsular Malaysia. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study on a convenience sample of 100 Malaysian breast cancer survivors. The reported use of CAM among the breast cancer survivors was lower than in other studies but the types of CAM used had a similar pattern with nutrition supplements/vitamins being the most common. The factors that positively influenced the use of complimentary/traditional therapy were income and getting information from television or radio. Survivors with access to internet/blogs appear to have lower odds of using complimentary/traditional therapy compared to the respondents who reported no such access. Information transmitted via television and radio appears to have a positive influence on CAM use by breast cancer patients compared to other information sources and it is important to ensure that such information is accurate and impartial.

Highlights

Complementary/Alternative medicine [complementary/ alternative medicine (CAM)] has been reported to be commonly used but not always disclosed to healthcare providers and can lead to delays in getting conventional treatment (Cheung et al, 2007; Hasan et al, 2009; Ayers and Kronenfeld, 2012)
The aim of the study was to explore the use of CAM and the influencing factors in the Northern region of Peninsular Malaysia
The reported use of CAM among the breast cancer survivors was lower than in other studies but the types of CAM used had a similar pattern with nutrition supplements/vitamins being the most common

Summary

Introduction

Complementary/Alternative medicine [CAM] has been reported to be commonly used but not always disclosed to healthcare providers and can lead to delays in getting conventional treatment (Cheung et al, 2007; Hasan et al, 2009; Ayers and Kronenfeld, 2012). Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer death among Malaysian women of all three major ethnic groups and the survival rate appears to have deteriorated (Ibrahim et al, 2012) even as death rates from cancer, including breast cancer, have been falling in developed countries (Siegel et al, 2011). Breast cancer is a common cancer affecting women in Malaysia and the use of complementary/ alternative medicine (CAM) has been associated with delays in getting treatment. The factors that positively influenced the use of complimentary/traditional therapy were income and getting information from television or radio. Conclusions: Information transmitted via television and radio appears to have a positive influence on CAM use by breast cancer patients compared to other information sources and it is important to ensure that such information is accurate and impartial

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