Survey Finds CAM Use Popular Among European Cancer Patients
More than a third of cancer patients in Europe have used a form of CAM therapy, according to a newly published survey. Researchers wanted to explore the use of CAM in cancer patients across a number of European countries. "Little is known about the use of CAM in cancer patients specifically," the researchers say. "This is especially true in the context of Europe, as the bulk of the literature comes from the USA."
Fourteen countries participated in the study, and data were collected through a descriptive questionnaire from 956 patients.
Data suggest that CAM is popular among cancer patients, with 35.9% using some form of CAM. (The range among the countries was 14.8% in Greece to 73.1% in Italy). A heterogeneous group of 58 therapies was 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.
CAM use was lower before the diagnosis of cancer, increasing by at least 30% after diagnosis and then stabilizing at a little higher (8%) than the CAM use before diagnosis. Thirty-eight different therapies were used before the diagnosis, 46 since diagnosis (10 were new types never used before by the patients), and 39 types of therapies were currently used. In total, survey respondents reported 58 different CAM therapies.
Multivariate analysis suggested that the profile of the CAM user was that of younger, female user with a higher educational level. Friends/family and the media provided the main source of CAM-related information, while physicians and nurses played a small part. The majority of respondents 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.
Researchers found significant differences in CAM use among the different cancer diagnostic groups of the sample. The highest prevalence rate of CAM use was in pancreatic, liver, bone/spinal, and brain cancer patients, followed by breast, stomach, gynecological, and genitourinary cancers. The lowest rates of CAM use were observed in lung and head and neck cancer patients.
CAM use is in Europe to stay, the researchers conclude. "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." The results of this survey appeared in the April 2005 issue of the Annals of Oncology.
Survey finds CAM use popular among European cancer patients. Altern Ther Women's Health 2005;7(5):39-40.
You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content