Pursuit and practice of complementary therapies by cancer patients receiving conventional treatment

Downer, S M; Cody, Marisue; McCluskey, Peter; Wilson, Paula; Arnott, S.J.; Lister, T. A.; Slevin, M. L.

doi:10.1136/bmj.309.6947.86

Cited by 325 publications

(233 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Psychological support was once seen as a complementary part to conventional patient care, but now it has been integrated into the process of orthodox treatment, especially for patients suffering from major illnesses such as cancer [41]. Such change might reflect an increasing awareness of the importance of mental health in the population, and this development may have profoundly influenced OM users within the recent decade.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining Health Beliefs, Attitudes and Behaviours Relate to Complementary and Orthodox Medicine Use in Chinese Population

Huang¹,

Furnham²

2013

Altern Integ Med

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining Health Beliefs, Attitudes and Behaviours Relate to Complementary and Orthodox Medicine Use in Chinese Population

Huang¹,

Furnham²

2013

Altern Integ Med

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“…Those who are better educated are known to be more proactive about their own health in general, particularly preventative measures. 24,25 Kao et al 26 showed in a study of patients undergoing treatment for localised prostate carcinoma that those engaging in alternative therapy practices tended to have higher levels of education and income.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attitudes and use of alternative therapies in UK prostate cancer patients—isn't it time we were in the know?

Cheetham

Monnier

Brewster

2001

Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis

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With increasing media interest in prostate cancer and the availability of data to patients from support groups and the Internet, the knowledge and use of alternative therapies by patients is becoming more common. The purpose of our study was to quantify patient awareness and use of alternative therapies for the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer in the UK. In May 2000, we performed a survey of men attending our urology outpatient clinic for prostate cancer evaluation or follow-up. All men diagnosed with and those at high risk (abnormal prostate specific antigen) for prostate cancer were eligible for the study. Each eligible patient was then sent an anonymous 25-item questionnaire to explore their knowledge and use of various alternative therapies for prostate cancer. Out of 195 patients who were sent the questionnaire, 168 responded, for a response rate of 86%. One hundred and sixty-four were analysed. Eight-two out of 164 (50%) were aware of alternative therapies for prevention/treatment of prostate cancer, the most common were tomatoes/tomato-based products and low-fat diet. There were 27 (16.5%) respondents taking alternative therapies for their prostate. Private patients were more aware (60.4% private vs 46.2% NHS) of complimentary therapies and were more likely to take them (27.9% private vs 12.4% NHS) than National Health Service patients. The majority of patients (60%) had not informed their GP or urologist. Fifteen therapies and 12 medication sources were recorded. Asked if doctors should discuss non-prescribed therapies, even if there is no proven benefit, 62% said 'yes' while 29% said 'no'. Alternative therapy use for prostate cancer is likely to increase. If we don't ask patients specifically whether they are taking them, patients are unlikely to tell us. Urologists and clinical oncologists treating men with prostate cancer need to be aware of alternative therapies and have some understanding of any benefit or harm, not only to be able to answer patient's questions and offer advice, but also to consider interactions with other treatments. Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases (2001) 4, 235-241.

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“…An increasing number of people with cancer are coming to see the use of complementary therapies as an adjunct to hospital cancer treatment rather than as an alternative approach [1][2][3][4][5]. In this supportive role, complementary therapies are widely used after a cancer diagnosis and in the UK they are included in National Health Service (NHS) guidelines 'Improving Supportive and Palliative Care for Adults with Cancer' [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individualised and complex experiences of integrative cancer support care: combining qualitative and quantitative data

Seers

Gale

Paterson

et al. 2009

Support Care Cancer

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ObjectivesThe widespread use of complementary therapies alongside biomedical treatment by people with cancer is not supported by evidence from clinical trials. We aimed to use combined qualitative and quantitative data to describe and measure individualized experiences and outcomes. Methods In three integrative Cancer Support Centres (two breast cancer only) in the UK, consecutive patients completed the individualised outcome questionnaire Measure Yourself Concerns and Wellbeing (MYCaW) before and after treatment. MYCaW collects quantitative data (7-point scales) and written qualitative data and the qualitative data were analysed using published categories. Results 782 participants, 92% female, mean age 51yrs, nominated a wide range of concerns. Psychological and emotional concerns predominated. At follow-up, the mean change (improvement) in scores (n=588) were: concern 1, 2.06 (95% CI 1.92-2.20); concern 2, 1.74 (95% CI 1.60-1.90); and wellbeing, 0.64 (95% CI 0.52-0.75. The most common responses to 'what has been the most important aspect for you?' were 'receiving complementary therapies on an individual or group basis' (26.2%); 'support and understanding received from therapists' (17.1%) and 'time spent with other patients at the centres' (16.1%). Positive (61.5%) and negative (38.5%) descriptions of 'other things affecting your health' correlated with larger and smaller improvement in concerns and wellbeing respectively Conclusions In a multi-centre evaluation the MYCaW questionnaire provides rich data about patient experience, changes over time and perceptions of what was important to each individual with cancer within that experience. It is unlikely that meaningful evaluations of this complex intervention could be carried out by quantitative methods alone.

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Pursuit and practice of complementary therapies by cancer patients receiving conventional treatment

Cited by 325 publications

References 7 publications

Examining Health Beliefs, Attitudes and Behaviours Relate to Complementary and Orthodox Medicine Use in Chinese Population

Examining Health Beliefs, Attitudes and Behaviours Relate to Complementary and Orthodox Medicine Use in Chinese Population

Attitudes and use of alternative therapies in UK prostate cancer patients—isn't it time we were in the know?

Individualised and complex experiences of integrative cancer support care: combining qualitative and quantitative data

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