Complementary and Integrative Approaches to Cancer: A Pilot Survey of Attitudes and Habits among Cancer Patients in Italy.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med
; 2022: 2923967, 2022.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35958921
ABSTRACT
Background:
Cancer patients are among the main consumers of traditional, complementary, integrative, and alternative medicine (TCIM) such as natural products (herbals, integrators, etc.) and mind and body practices (yoga, acupuncture, etc.).Methods:
A questionnaire on TCIM was submitted to 415 Italian cancer patients. The questionnaire consisted of three sections (i) biographical and clinical information; (ii) use of natural substances; and (iii) use of mind-body practices.Results:
406 patients completed the questionnaire. The prevalence of TCIM use was 72.3%. Of them, 75.6% started to use TCIM after a tumor diagnosis. The main reasons for using TCIM were to mitigate side effects (65.0%), to regain physical and mental balance (35.9%), to relieve pain (18.3%), and to improve the efficacy of cancer therapy (16.0%). 44.7% of patients taking natural products used them during conventional therapies (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, etc.), and in 67.5% of cases without consulting a doctor. As a consequence, only about 50% of patients taking natural substances used these compounds appropriately, and the most common errors were related with the purpose of reducing the side effects of the therapy (52.3%) and for boosting immune system (32.1%).Conclusions:
There is an impelling need to provide patients with scientifically validated information to raise awareness about the benefits and risks of using TCIM.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Tipo de estudo:
Risk_factors_studies
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article