Annals of Oncology Advance Access originally published online on February 2, 2005
Annals of Oncology 2005 16(4):655-663; doi:10.1093/annonc/mdi110
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© 2005 European Society for Medical Oncology
Original articles |
Use of complementary and alternative medicine in cancer patients: a European survey
1 School of Nursing, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK; 2 Institut Català Oncologia ICO, Barcelona, Spain; 3 Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Studies, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel; 4 Gazi University Hospital, Ankara, Turkey; 5 Department of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK; 6 Greek Oncology Nursing Society and Ag. Anargiri Hospital, Athens, Greece; 7 Zurich University Hospital, Poliklinik Onkologie, Zurich, Switzerland; 8 Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden; 9 Università degli Studi di Milano-Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan, Italy; 10 Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Brno, Czech Republic; 11 Oncology Department, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark; 12 Department of Education, Institute for Oncology and Radiology, Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro; 13 Belgian Society of Oncology Nursing, Brussels, Belgium; 14 Department of Oncology, Lanspitali, Reykjavik, Iceland; 15 Department of Oncology, City Hospital, Nottingham, UK; 16 School of Health Sciences, Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey; 17 Greek Oncology Nursing Society and Department of Nursing, University of Athens, Athens, Greece
* Correspondence to: Dr A. Molassiotis, University of Manchester, School of Nursing, Coupland III, Coupland Street, Manchester M13 9PL, UK. Tel: +44-161-275-5337; Fax: +44-161-275-7566; Email: alex.molassiotis{at}manchester.ac.uk
Background: The aim of this study was to explore the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in cancer patients across a number of European countries.
Methods: A descriptive survey design was developed. Fourteen countries participated in the study and data was collected through a descriptive questionnaire from 956 patients.
Results: Data suggest that CAM is popular among cancer patients with 35.9% using some form of CAM (range among countries 14.8% to 73.1%). A heterogeneous group of 58 therapies were identified as being used. Herbal medicines and remedies were the most commonly used CAM therapies, together with homeopathy, vitamins/minerals, medicinal teas, spiritual therapies and relaxation techniques. Herbal medicine use tripled from use before diagnosis to use since diagnosis with cancer. Multivariate analysis suggested that the profile of the CAM user was that of younger people, female and with higher educational level. The source of information was mainly from friends/family and the media, while physicians and nurses played a small part in providing CAM-related information. The majority used CAM to increase the body's ability to fight cancer or improve physical and emotional well-being, and many seemed to have benefited from using CAM (even though the benefits were not necessarily related to the initial reason for using CAM). Some 4.4% of patients, however, reported side-effects, mostly transient.
Conclusions: It is imperative that health professionals explore the use of CAM with their cancer patients, educate them about potentially beneficial therapies in light of the limited available evidence of effectiveness, and work towards an integrated model of health-care provision.
Key words: alternative medicine, complementary medicine, Europe, herbs, homeopathy, spiritual healing, vitamins
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