Abstract
BackgroundComplementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use has become increasingly popular among patients with cancer. The purposes of this study were to compare the QOL in CAM users and non-CAM users and to determine whether CAM use influences QOL among breast cancer patients during chemotherapy.MethodologyA cross-sectional survey was conducted at two outpatient chemotherapy centers. A total of 546 patients completed the questionnaires on CAM use. QOL was evaluated based on the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) core quality of life (QLQ-C30) and breast cancer-specific quality of life (QLQ-BR23) questionnaires.ResultsA total of 70.7% of patients were identified as CAM users. There was no significant difference in global health status scores and in all five subscales of the QLQ C30 functional scales between CAM users and non-CAM users. On the QLQ-C30 symptom scales, CAM users (44.96±3.89) had significantly (p = 0.01) higher mean scores for financial difficulties than non-CAM users (36.29±4.81). On the QLQ-BR23 functional scales, CAM users reported significantly higher mean scores for sexual enjoyment (6.01±12.84 vs. 4.64±12.76, p = 0.04) than non-CAM users. On the QLQ-BR23 symptom scales, CAM users reported higher systemic therapy side effects (41.34±2.01 vs. 37.22±2.48, p = 0.04) and breast symptoms (15.76±2.13 vs. 11.08±2.62, p = 0.02) than non-CAM users. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the use of CAM modality was not significantly associated with higher global health status scores (p = 0.71).ConclusionWhile the findings indicated that there was no significant difference between users and non-users of CAM in terms of QOL, CAM may be used by health professionals as a surrogate to monitor patients with higher systemic therapy side effects and breast symptoms. Furthermore, given that CAM users reported higher financial burdens (which may have contributed to increased distress), patients should be encouraged to discuss the potential benefits and/or disadvantages of using CAM with their healthcare providers.
Highlights
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) generally refers to a variety of approaches that are not considered as part of Western medicine
A total of 70.7% of patients were identified as CAM users
While the findings indicated that there was no significant difference between users and nonusers of CAM in terms of quality of life (QOL), CAM may be used by health professionals as a surrogate to monitor patients with higher systemic therapy side effects and breast symptoms
Summary
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) generally refers to a variety of approaches that are not considered as part of Western medicine. The use of CAM is popular among cancer patients. According to a systematic review of 26 surveys from 13 countries carried out in 1998, the average prevalence of CAM use among adults with cancer was 31.4% [2]. A survey conducted in 2005 across 14 European countries reported that 35.9% of cancer patients used some form of CAM [3]. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis across studies conducted in Australia, Canada, Europe, New Zealand, and the United States highlighted that the combined prevalence for “current use” of CAM in cancer patients was 40% [4]. In Asia, the prevalence of CAM use among cancer patients was found to be higher, ranging from 45% to 98% [5]. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use has become increasingly popular among patients with cancer. The purposes of this study were to compare the QOL in CAM users and non-CAM users and to determine whether CAM use influences QOL among breast cancer patients during chemotherapy.
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