The use and perceived benefits resulting from the use of complementary and alternative medicine by cancer patients in Australia

Oh, Byeongsang; Butow, Phyllis; Mullan, Barbara; Beale, Philip; Pavlakis, Nick; Rosenthal, David S.; Clarke, Stephen

doi:10.1111/j.1743-7563.2010.01329.x

Cited by 76 publications

(94 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Overall, the number of patients using CAM in this study (68%) was comparable to recent Australian studies in predominantly metropolitan cancer populations which reported CAM use in 61% and 65% of participants, respectively, 31,38 but considerably higher than that reported in a similar regional population (38%). 25 This result supports previous Australian research that CAM use is as common in rural as metropolitan areas.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…25,38 Prayer was used by 28% of patients, which is also comparable to recent Australian studies 25,38 ; however, a limitation of the current study is that it did not clearly distinguish between therapeutic or healing prayer and routine prayer for religious beliefs. Higher rates of acupuncture (32%) and chiropractic use (30%) were seen in the current study, 38 which may reflect regional differences in the use of these practices but may also be a result of these services being subsidized through Medicare, as well as referral to and acceptance of these services by GPs. 18 The Darling Downs region has been reported to have a high percentage of GPs who claim for acupuncture Medicare items, 40 which may also have affected this result.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Cancer Patients in Rural Australia

2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aim. Numerous studies have demonstrated the high prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in metropolitan cancer cohorts but few have been conducted in regional and remote populations. This study aimed to investigate the trends and regional variations in CAM use by cancer patients at a regional cancer care center in Toowoomba, South East Queensland, Australia. Methods. All English-speaking adult cancer patients attending the regional cancer care center were invited to participate. Eligible patients were provided a self-administered questionnaire that was developed based on published surveys. Ethics approval was obtained. Results. Overall 142 patients completed the questionnaire and 68% were currently or had previously used at least one form of CAM. CAM users and nonusers did not differ significantly by region, age, gender, time since diagnosis, income, town size, treatment intent, or metastases. CAM users were more likely to have a higher level of education. Concurrent CAM use with conventional treatment was reported by approximately half of respondents. The most common reason for CAM use was "to improve general physical well-being." The most common sources of CAM information were family (31%) and friends (29%). Disclosure of CAM use to either the general practitioner or specialist was reported by 46% and 33% of patients, respectively. The most common reason for nondisclosure was "doctor never asked." Conclusion. This study supports previous research that CAM use is as common in regional and remote areas as metropolitan areas. Nondisclosure of CAM use to health professionals was common. Future research needs to focus on strategies to improve communication between patients and health professionals about the use of CAM.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Cancer Patients in Rural Australia

2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A survey conducted by researchers revealed that cancer patients began using CAM alongside conventional treatment because the latter sometimes fails to cure the majority of common cancers (Scott, Kearney et al 2005). Patients also found that the CAM-based treatments are accessible, affordable and relatively safe when compared to conventional medicine (Oh, Butow et al 2010;Erku 2016) Interestingly, despite the demographic origin of the cancer patients, studies reveal that CAM users are generally well educated, with an overall higher standard of education than non-CAM users (Scott, Kearney et al 2005;Farooqui, Hassali et al 2015;Sullivan, Gilbar et al 2015). It may be that those with higher educational qualifications are more inclined to investigate the potential benefits of new or alternative therapies, especially for serious diseases such as cancer.…”

Section: Cam and Cancermentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural Products & Complementary Medicines: where are we up to?

Alqathama

2016

British Journal of Pharmacy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…3 In Australia, the use of CAM in cancer patients ranges from 17-65%. [4][5][6] The increasing trend in cancer patient use mirrors those of the general population and a recent study estimated 79% of cancer survivors had used at least one form of CAM in the last 12 months. 7 Additionally, 21% of non-English speaking Chinese Americans reported using CAM, particularly Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture and Chinese massage for treating cancer related pain.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

AL study- traditional Chinese medicine combination Astragalus membranaceus and Ligustrum lucidum in people with advanced malignancy: research protocol for an open labelled pilot study

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: AL is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) combination commonly used as an adaptogen to improve energy levels, immunity and quality of life in those suffering from chronic diseases such as cancer. While the combination Astragalus membranaceus and Ligustrum lucidum (AL) has been investigated in China as an adjunct to standard anticancer therapies in numerous clinical studies of variable quality reported in the Chinese literature, independent assessment of its effects on safety, tolerability and efficacy are lacking. Our objectives are to determine the safety and tolerability of AL and investigate its effects on inflammation, quality of life and immunity in people with advanced malignancy in the Australian healthcare setting. Methods: The AL study is a prospectively registered, open labelled pilot multi-centre study investigating AL in people with advanced malignancy. Inclusion criteria include participants with recurrent or metastatic cancer who are not undergoing chemotherapy or palliative chemotherapy. All participants (n=25) will receive 6 capsules of AL twice daily (equivalent to 25g raw herb) for 12 weeks. Follow up consultations will monitor safety, tolerability, quality of life, immune function and adverse events. Participants will be assessed at baseline and at weeks 3, 6, 9 and 12. The primary outcome will determine the effect of AL on safety and tolerability. Secondary outcomes will include inflammation, quality of life, immune function, disease status and survival. Appropriate statistical analysis will be conducted on the pilot study data. Potential associations will be investigated where relevant. Conclusions: This study will firstly establish the safety and tolerability of this TCM combination "AL" in people with advanced malignancy in the Australian healthcare system and provide important information regarding its effect on markers that may affect survival as well as explore changes in quality of life and immune function. The impact of this research may allow the design of future studies integrating AL with standard therapy for people with advanced malignancy.

show abstract

The use and perceived benefits resulting from the use of complementary and alternative medicine by cancer patients in Australia

Abstract: A substantial portion of Australian cancer patients use CAM. Given the limited data on efficacy and safety for most CAM, it may be reasonable to offer CAM within the hospital environment so its use can be monitored and patients can receive more evidence-based care.

Cited by 76 publications

References 29 publications

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Cancer Patients in Rural Australia

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Cancer Patients in Rural Australia

Natural Products & Complementary Medicines: where are we up to?

AL study- traditional Chinese medicine combination Astragalus membranaceus and Ligustrum lucidum in people with advanced malignancy: research protocol for an open labelled pilot study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About