Abstract
(1) Background: The prevalence of complementary and alternative methods (CAM) use among oncological patients has been rising constantly over the last few decades and a variety of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods have been developed. Many advertisements promise to relieve side effects of chemotherapy or even to cure the disease, thus encouraging patients to use CAM; (2) Methods: The objective of the study was to determine which patients’ characteristics are associated with the use of complementary medicine during cancer treatment, their pattern of use, and if it has any association with its safety profile. This survey-based prospective multicenter study of 316 patients examined the use of complementary medicine among patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment in cancer centers in Poland between 2017 and 2019; (3) Results: The Chi2 analysis showed that patients’ opinion regarding the safety of unconventional methods is related to the use of CAM (p = 0.00147). Moreover, patients’ thinking that alternative medicine can replace traditional therapy was correlated with his/her education (p = 0.01198). Moreover, we performed univariate and multivariate analysis to determine factors associated with CAM use including sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Finally, we conducted survival analysis of patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment with 42 months of follow-up time of our prospective study. Using Kaplan–Meier curves and log-rank analysis, we found no statistical difference in overall survival between the groups that used and did not use any form of CAM (p = 0.211); (4) Conclusions: CAM use is common among patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment and should be considered by medical teams as some agents may interact with chemotherapy drugs and affect their efficacy or cause adverse effects.
Highlights
After having poor prognosis or multiple adverse effects from chemotherapy, many patients seek alternative methods to cure cancer
We found that the use of any form of complementary form of treatment did not affect patients’ survival, as both complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) users and patients who did not use any form of complementary treatment had similar overall survival times
Irrespective of personal opinion, healthcare professionals need to be aware of such use of CAM and be able to provide patients with information and educate them about possible benefits as well as side effects
Summary
After having poor prognosis or multiple adverse effects from chemotherapy, many patients seek alternative methods to cure cancer. Even though current methods include local (surgery or radiotherapy), target, and systematic treatment, we are still unable to help some patients, especially those diagnosed with advanced stages of the disease. Adverse effects, associated with conventional cancer treatment, such as nausea, gastric problems, and weakness are often very unpleasant but tend to be transient and disappear once the treatment is completed. Despite the potential severity of the side effects, conventional treatments are evidence-based and clinically tested, should be considered as the only option to cure the primary disease. The use of complementary and alternative methods has been found to help reduce anxiety, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, pain, and sleeplessness. It allows patients to feel more hopeful about the treatment
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International journal of environmental research and public health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
