Complementary Therapies Use Among Cancer Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: Antineoplastic therapies side effects amplify the patient discomfort/suffering. To prevent/minimize drugs damage, an increasing number of cancer patients use complementary and alternative medicine. The aim of this study was to measure prevalence and benefits experienced from the use of complementary therapies among 405 cancer patients. An anonymous self-completed questionnaire has been used. Result: 248 (61.23%) patients used complementary and/or nutritional supplements and 99 (24.44%) at least one of them. These remedies were recommended by pharmacists (36.1%), oncologists (27.3%), or general practitioners (15.4%). Two hundred twenty-four (55.31%) patients believed they had benefited from their use. Among 109 patients that would not inform the oncologist: 60.9% “do not believe it is useful/important to talk about it”, 28.3% “have tried in the past and it was not useful”; 17.9% “do not consider her/him the right person”. Discussion: This study found that cancer patients use complementary therapies, often by personal choice, or through advertising, the internet or television programs, some of them do not consider it useful or appropriate to talk about it with their oncologist. Today we have both scientific evidence and instruments to learn about the interactions between complementary therapies and antineoplastic treatments. Especially about the possible adverse effects of complementary therapies during oncological treatment. Conclusion: Therefore, the training and updating of oncologists on complementary therapies and their use can no longer be postponed. Equally important is to adopt "active listening" to the patient on use, therapeutic options and risk-benefit ratio, in line with the evidence of health-based medicine.