No abstract

There are few studies examining complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use and beliefs among non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) survivors. 719 NHL patients from the University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic Molecular Epidemiology Resource who completed the 3-year post-diagnosis questionnaire were included in this study. 636 (89%) reported ever using CAM, with 78% utilizing vitamins, 54% alternative therapies and 45% herbals. Female gender was associated with increased overall CAM use (P<.0001) as well as use of vitamins (P<.0001), herbals (P=.006) and alternative therapy (P=.0002) for cancer. Older age (>60) was associated with increased vitamin use (P=.005) and decreased herbal use (P=.008). Among users, 143 (20%) believe CAM assists healing, 123 (17%) believe CAM relieves symptoms, 122 (17%) believe CAM gives a feeling of control, 110 (15%) believe CAM assists other treatments, 108 (15%) believe CAM boosts immunity, 26 (4%) believe CAM cures cancer, and 36 (5%) believe CAM prevents the spread of cancer.

Acupuncture is increasingly offered as a treatment option for managing cancer-related symptoms. In addition to randomized controlled trials, patient-reported outcomes may be needed to establish treatment effectiveness. This study retrospectively examined the symptoms and the satisfaction ratings of 90 patients receiving acupuncture at an integrative oncology clinic. At least two acupuncture sessions were completed by 72% of the sample. The prevalence rates of fatigue, pain, anxiety, physical distress, emotional distress, and poor quality of life before acupuncture were > 62%. Paired t tests revealed a significant reduction in symptoms from baseline until after the first acupuncture session and after the last session (p < 0.05). Fewer (21%) patients reported nausea, which was significantly reduced after the first session, but not the last session. Reductions represented clinically meaningful differences in 33-41% of patients after the first session and in 41-53% of patients after the last session for all symptoms, except nausea. A small subset of patients (0-8%) reported worsening symptoms after acupuncture. The majority were satisfied with the service. The results of this study suggest that acupuncture may be useful as an adjunct treatment for cancer symptom management. While high-quality trials are still needed to establish the treatment's efficacy, patients may benefit from these primarily safe, low-cost services.