Positive Health Online

Abstract

ERNST and CASSILETH, Department of Complementary Medicine, Postgraduate Medical School, University of Exeter, UK write that complementary/alternative cancer treatments are believed to be prevalent, but that reliable rates of their prevalence are lacking. The authors review (37 references) and summarise the existing data in this regard.

Background

Methodology

The authors conducted a series of computerised literature searches.

Results

26 surveys from 13 countries, including 4 studies of paediatric patients, were retrieved from the literature. The use of Complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) therapies in adult populations ranged from 7-64% . The average prevalence across all adult studies was 31.4%.

Conclusion

The large degree of variation is most likely due to different definitions of complementary/alternative medicine on the part of both investigators and patients. The results of the current study likely reflect the primarily adjunctive use of CAM treatments. Further studies need to use a standardised protocol to determine the true prevalence of these therapies.

References

Ernst E and Cassileth BR. The prevalence of complementary/alternative medicine in cancer: a systematic review. Cancer 83(4): 777-82 Aug 15 1998.

Comment

Call me a Luddite, but surely it is more important to investigate the efficacy of complementary cancer treatments than to spend many years and scarce resources to determine how many people with cancer actually use complementary therapies. I know that evidence-based medicine is the current buzz word, but really, nowadays, anyone using positive thinking or putting essential oils in the bath or drinking herbal teas would probably qualify as using complementary medicine. With almost everybody projected to have cancer in their lifetime, I would imagine that the number of cancer patients who would use complementary practices would mirror the use of complementary medicine within the population of the particular country in question.