Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in lung cancer: The impact of control.

Abstract

9613 Background: Lung cancer (LC) remains the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women in the U.S., and is associated with significant symptom burden. The diagnosis and treatment of LC can make patients feel a loss of control, and desire for control has been associated with CAM use. While interest in CAM has surged recently, scant literature exists on its use in LC. This study aimed to quantify the prevalence of and identify the factors associated with CAM use in patients (pts) with LC with a specific focus on perceived control. Methods: We performed a cross sectional survey in pts with LC treated at the oncology clinic of an academic medical center. Self-reported CAM use was the primary outcome. Demographic and clinical variables were collected by chart abstraction. Pts’ perception of their degree of control was measured using the Cancer Locus of Control scale. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to determine which factors were independently associated with CAM use. Results: 296 pts were surveyed (77.5% response rate) with a mean age of 63.1 (28-84). 45.6% were male, 83.5% were Caucasian, 21% had never smoked, and 52.4% had Stage IV disease. 50.9% of pts used ≥1 form of CAM, most commonly vitamins (31.5%), herbs (19.3%), relaxation techniques (16%) and special diets (15.7%). In multivariate analysis, CAM use was associated with age≤65 (AOR 1.64, 95% CI 1.01-2.67), college level or greater education (AOR 2.17, 95% CI 1.29-3.64), never having smoked tobacco (AOR 2.39, 95% CI 1.25-4.54), and having a greater feeling of control over the cause of cancer (AOR 2.27, 95% CI 1.35-3.80). Gender and perceived control over treatment outcome were not associated with CAM use. Conclusions: In the largest study evaluating CAM in LC, half of pts surveyed used CAM. CAM use was associated with younger age, increased education, never having smoked tobacco and a greater feeling of control over the cause of cancer. In contrast to prior research, we did not find an association with CAM usage and gender or perceived control over treatment outcome. Since CAM use is common, future research is needed to evaluate how to integrate CAM into clinical care to help patients with LC regain a sense of control and improve their quality of life.