Examination of the complementary and alternative treatment use with breast cancer patients [Meme kanserli hastalarin tamamlayici ve alternatif tedavi yöntemlerini kullanma durumlarinin incelenmesi]

Objective: The aim of this study was aimed to assess the use of complementary and alternative treatment (CAT) methods for patients with breast cancer. Material and Methods: In this descriptive study, 100 patients with breast cancer who presented to the Hospital of Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Division of General Surgery, Breast Diseases Outpatient Clinic and Tülay Aktas Oncology Hospital between April 1 2005 and August 31 2005 and who volunteered to participate in the research were included. The subjects were interviewed face-to-face using a 47-item questionnaire. SPSS 11.0 was used for statistical analyses; data were expressed in numbers and percentages and Chi-square was used for comparisons. Results: CAT method was preferred by 87% of the participants; herbal treatment was the treatment choice in 62% of those who used CAT. At least one CAT method accompanied to various combinations of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatments in 80%. Media was the most common source of knowledge on CAT methods with a rate of 46.8%. Of the study patients, 19.5% indicated to have informed their physicians about their use of CAT. Conclusion: This study revealed that a large proportion (87%) of breast cancer patients used at least one CAT method. While metabolic/nutritional methods were the most commonly preferred, psychological/behavioral methods seemed to be much less common. Pharmacological/biological methods and device and equipment methods were the least frequently preferred. Reports indicate that herbs may pose direct and indirect health risks and cause side effects, allergic reactions, and toxic effects. Health care providers should be aware of the potential interaction between herbal medicine and drugs. Copyright © 2007 by Türkiye Klinikleri