Abstract
The present study estimates the frequency of the use of plant-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) by breast cancer patients. From June to December of 2011, a self-administered questionnaire was given to 404 breast cancer patients receiving outpatient therapy at the Javeriana Oncology Center of the Hospital Universitario San Ignacio in Bogotá. The prevalence of patient CAM use was 57%, out of which 76% was based on plants like anamú, aloe, red fruits and soursop. Sixty-five percent of the patients had a positive perception of using medicinal plants and 57% used them simultaneously with the oncologist recommended allopathic treatment. We concluded that the frequency of CAM use in breast cancer patients at the Javeriana Oncology Center is within the prevalence range reported worldwide, despite differences in CAM types and frequencies. The high rates of plant-based CAM use without physician consent, brings about the lack of assessment of the synergic or antagonistic effects of CAM therapies on the allopathic treatment of breast cancer and evaluation of the antitumor and immunomodulatory potential of the traditionally used plants.
Highlights
The United States National Cancer Institute defines Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) as a group of healthcare systems, practices and therapies not based on conventional or allopathic medicine and excluded from medical school programs and public health systems
Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM): CAM therapy was used as treatment by 57.1% (231/404) of the surveyed patients (Table 1) and in 77.4% (179/404) of these cases, the patients’ friends or relatives were the promoters of CAM usage
In the United States, women with advanced stages of breast cancer (60%) discuss CAM use with their physician, possibly because CAM has become a branch of the NIH and the creation of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has allowed alternative therapies to have a status within the medical community
Summary
The United States National Cancer Institute defines CAM as a group of healthcare systems, practices and therapies not based on conventional or allopathic medicine and excluded from medical school programs and public health systems. According to the United States National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) CAM types are: mind-body therapies (meditation), energy therapies (electromagnetic therapy), alternative medical systems (homeopathy), manual healing therapies (acupressure) and biologically based therapies (plants) [1, 2]. The use of plant-based therapies by breast cancer patients depends on cultural background. A survey in northwestern Turkey established that breast cancer patients prefer herbal therapies (67%) over other CAM types [3], while in Canada and Australia the frequency of herbal therapy use was only 20% [4, 5]. Curcuma (Curcuma longa), a traditional Indian and Chinese medicine, enhances antitumor activities [7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
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 callDisclaimer: 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.
