Positive Health Online

Abstract

MORRIS and colleagues, Department of Surgery, Oregon Health Sciences University, and Legacy Health Systems, Portland, Oregon, USA compared complementary therapy use between breast cancer patients and patients with other primary tumour sites .

Background

Interest in complementary therapies in the United States is rising. The authors sought to characterize the use of complementary therapies among their cancer patients and analyse the differences between patients with breast cancer and those with other primary tumour sites.

Methodology

A survey of 1,935 randomly selected patients was performed. Questionnaires were mailed to 935 breast cancer patients and 1,000 patients with other primary site diagnoses.

Results

There were 617 responses from the target groups (288 breast, 329 other). Seventy-five per cent (75%) of patients reported use of a complementary modality . Top therapies used were nutrition (63%), massage (53%), and healing herbs (44%). The most common reason for use, immune modulation (73%), was similar in both groups. Breast cancer patients (84%) were more consistent users of complementary therapies than other cancer patients (66%, p 0.003).

Conclusion

A significant number of cancer patients are using complementary therapies . Breast cancer patients are more likely to be consistent users compared with patients with other primary tumour sites .

References

Morris KT et al. A comparison of complementary therapy use between breast cancer patients and patients with other primary tumour sites. American Journal of Surgery 179 (5): 407-11. May 2000.