Complementary medicine use by men with prostate cancer: a systematic review of prevalence studies

Abstract

Men with prostate cancer are reported as commonly using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) but surveys have not recently been subjected to a rigorous systematic review incorporating quality assessment. Six electronic databases were searched using pre-defined terms. Detailed information was extracted systematically from each relevant article. Study reporting quality was assessed using a quality assessment tool, which demonstrated acceptable inter-rater reliability and produces a percentage score. In all, 42 studies are reviewed. All were published in English between 1999 and 2009; 60% were conducted in the United States. The reporting quality was mixed (median score ¼ 66%, range 23-94%). Significant heterogeneity precluded formal meta-analysis. In all, 39 studies covering 11 736 men reported overall prevalence of CAM use; this ranged from 8 to 90% (median ¼ 30%). In all, 10 studies reported prevalence of CAM use specifically for cancer care; this ranged from 8 to 50% (median ¼ 30%). Some evidence suggested CAM use is more common in men with higher education/incomes and more severe disease. The prevalence of CAM use among men with prostate cancer varies greatly across studies. Future studies should use standardised and validated data collection techniques to reduce bias and enhance comparability.

An integrative review of complementary and alternative medicine use for back pain: a focus on prevalence, reasons for use, influential factors, self-perceived effectiveness, and communication

“…To appraise the quality of the studies selected for review, the authors used a quality scoring system ( Table 2) previously used for assessing prevalence studies on neck pain [70], CAM use among cancer patients [71], and CAM use among headache and migraine patients [72]. The use of this analytical tool allowed for systematic evaluation and comparison of the identified studies.…”

Herbal Management of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

“…Herbal preparations from saw palmetto are used to improve symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia [42]. Herbal supplements from the species are also used as alternative or complementary medicine modalities for men with prostate cancer [43]. Saw palmetto herbal preparations have advantages over conventional therapy in that they do not change prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels and have minimal side effects [44,45].…”

Bedarf und Praxis der gezielten Selensubstitution im Rahmen der komplementären Behandlung des Prostatakarzinoms

“…Selenium therapy should be part of an individual medical nutritional and lifestyle intervention. [1][2][3].…”