Complementary and Integrative Medicine Use in Individuals Seeking Conventional Medical Oncology Care in Chile: Prevalence and Patient Characteristics

Abstract

PURPOSE Complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) use during cancer care has increased in Western medical settings. Little is known about interest in and use of CIM approaches by oncology patients in Chile and South America. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients presenting for conventional outpatient or inpatient medical oncology care at the Clinica Alemana in Santiago, Chile, from March to June 2017 were asked to complete a survey about their interest in and use of CIM approaches. Goals included determining the prevalence of CIM use and exploring associations between CIM use and patient characteristics. Statistical analyses included a two-tailed t test for continuous variables, Fischer’s exact test for categorical variables, and logistic regression for association between CIM use and other variables. RESULTS Of 432 patients surveyed, 66.9% were diagnosed with breast cancer, 84.8% were women, the majority of patients (58.1%) were between age 40 and 60 years, and 51.5% (n = 221) reported CIM use. No association was found between CIM use and the sociodemographic variables of sex, age, education, or income. In all, 44.6% of patients with breast cancer reported CIM use compared with 64.8% of patients with other cancer types ( P > .001). Most commonly reported types of CIM used included herbals (49.1%), vitamins and minerals (40.8%), and prayer or meditation (40.4%). Most frequent reasons for CIM use were to “do everything possible” (72%) and to “improve my immune function” (67.8%). Most patients (43.4%) reported starting CIM use at the time of cancer diagnosis, with only 55.4% sharing information regarding CIM use with their medical team. CONCLUSION The majority of patients surveyed reported engaging in CIM use, with just over half the users communicating with their oncology team about their CIM use. Increased awareness of regional differences in CIM use may help increase communication regarding this subject and contribute to improved outcomes.

Prevalence of the use of traditional complementary and alternative medicine amongst cancer patients in a tertiary care center in Kerala, India

“…It was found that the patients who were influenced by the family were more likely to use alternative or complementary treatments, expecting the TCAMs to cure cancer and to increase their survival than those who were not influenced by family members [ 16 ]. Our study found that family members were the most common information source, similar to two previously published Indian studies and a Chilean study [ 10 , 11 , 14 ]. The main reason for using TCAM in the South Indian study was to improve the overall quality of life or tolerance to chemotherapy [ 11 ].…”

“…In our study, like other surveys conducted in India [ 11 ], significantly more females used TCAM. This is due to more female cancer patients visiting OPD and their willingness to participate in the study and this trend is consistent with many parts of the world, including Europe, Chile, Saudi Arabia and India [ [12] , [13] , [14] ]. The mean age of TCAM users was similar to the survey conducted in South India, but there was a difference in the educational status of TCAM users.…”

“…For example, Quran recitation, Zamzam water, olive oil, black seed, garlic, camel milk, honey, camel urine, known herbal and unknown herbal mixtures, multivitamins were the TCAMs used in Saudi Arabia [ 12 ]. On the contrary, herbals, vitamins and minerals, prayer or meditation, special diet, Homeopathy, yoga, acupuncture, chiropractic, and hypnosis were the TCAMs that the Chilean population used [ 14 ]. Although there is a disparity in the TCAMs being listed in various reports, the prevalence rates are higher in the studies conducted in Europe, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia [ 12 , 13 , 15 ].…”

Use of complementary and alternative medicine in patients with cancer and their relationship with health behaviours – Cross-sectional study

“…In own studies, the patients reported obtaining information about CAM from the Internet (46.15%), from family members (37.02%), from friends (35.10%), from a doctor (11.54%) and from a nurse (5.77%). Similar results were obtained in the studies regarding the source of information on the use of CAM conducted by Buckner et al, Lopez et al, Bielesz et al, and Hunter et al [29,42,49,50]. Different results were obtained from German patients surveyed by Hierl et al who showed that doctors were most often mentioned (29%) as a source of information about CAM, whereas family/friends constituted 24% of all answers, and the Internet -merely 11% [23].…”

The Assessment of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Patients with Hematological Malignancies

“…The practices of CAM vary among populations and greatly depend on the socio-economic, cultural, and geographical structure (Hakkoymaz & Koçyiğit, 2019). There are literature data indicating the demographic features such as age, gender, education, and the clinical characteristics, like the diagnosis, treatment, and comorbidities are the main influencers of CAM use and related patterns, such as the source of information of, the attitudes towards, and the perceived effects from CAM (Abuelgasim et al, 2018;Bauml et al, 2015;Berretta et al, 2017;Can, Erol, Aydiner, & Topuz, 2009;D'Arena et al, 2014;Demir & Erol, 2018;Gan, Leong, Bee, Chin, & Teh, 2015;Gözüm, Tezel, & Koc, 2003;Hakkoymaz & Koçyiğit, 2019;Hensel, Zoz, & Ho, 2009;Hierl et al, 2017;Karacan et al, 2012;Lopez et al, 2019;Molassiotis et al, 2005;Rausch Osian et al, 2015;Risberg et al, 2003;Tas et al, 2005;Tazi, Nafil, Sifesalam, Bouchtia, & Mahmal, 2013;Wode, Henriksson, Sharp, Stoltenberg, & Hök Nordberg, 2019;Wortmann et al, 2016;Yalcin, Hurmuz, McQuinn, & Naing, 2018;Şahin & Şahin, 2013). Regardless of the chosen practices, most patients who are unaware of the potential health risks refrain from informing physicians on their use of CAM.…”