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Research: GROTHEY and colleagues,
Listed in Issue 41
Abstract
GROTHEY and colleagues, Abteilung fur Hamatologie und Onkologie, Universitat von Texas, Germany write that up to 60% of all cancer patients use alternative medicine during the course of their illness. Although demographic characteristics and patients motives of alternative medicine have been recorded in earlier blinded studies, the authors write that a correlation with individual illnesses has not been possible.
Background
Methodology
Patients from an oncology outpatient clinic (n = 142) were interviewed and completed questionnaires. 103 patients, 72.5% (46 men and 57 women, median age 58 years) returned questionnaires which could be evaluated.
Results
46 patients replied that they had used alternative medicine. There were no difference between users and non-users regarding sex, age, profession, education, family status or religion. Compared with 31% of patients with partial remission or stable disease, or 41% of patients in complete remission, 58% of patients with advanced disease used alternative medicine. The most commonly used substances were vitamins (50%) and mistletoe preparations (45%). The main objectives were to stimulate the immune system (77%) and to strengthen physical capacity (64.5%). 56% of patients were referred from their family doctor; 41% came from family and friends. Alternative medicine was utilised mainly as complementary and not as an alternative to conventional medical treatment. In 59% of patients, health insurance met all or some of the costs of alternative treatment .
Conclusion
Many patients treated conventionally with oncology regimens also use alternative medicine, the majority of them with a polypragmatic attitude to tumour treatment. Family doctors and health insurance companies are playing amore important role than had been previously thought in spreading the use of treatment options without providing scientifically based evidence of efficacy.
References
Grothey A et al. Use of alternative medicine in oncology patients. Dtsch Med Wochenschr 123(31-32): 923-9 Jul 31 1998.
