Cancer Survivors Are More Likely Than General Population to Use CAM, According to National Survey Analysis [NCCAM Research Results]

Cancer Survivors Are More Likely Than General Population to Use CAM, According to National Survey Analysis

A recent analysis of the 2007 National Health Interview Survey revealed that cancer survivors are more likely to use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) compared with the general population. According to the data published in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship: Research and Practice, cancer survivors are also more likely to use CAM based on a recommendation by their health care providers and to talk to their health care providers about their CAM use.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine investigated CAM use, reasons and motivations for use, and communication of CAM use with health care providers among 23,393 American adults—1,471 cancer survivors and 21,922 non-cancer controls. The researchers found that 65 percent of cancer survivors have used CAM in their lifetime, and 43 percent used CAM in the past year. In contrast, only 53 percent of the non-cancer respondents used CAM in their lifetime, and 37 percent used CAM in the past year. The most common reasons for which cancer survivors reported using CAM were wellness or general disease prevention (29 percent); enhancement of immune function (11 percent); energy enhancement (11 percent); pain management (6 percent); psychological distress (2 percent); and insomnia (1 percent). Cancer survivors were more likely than the control group to use CAM for wellness and general disease prevention, enhancing immune function, and pain management.

Cancer survivors cited various motivations for using CAM therapies; nearly 15 percent reported using CAM on the advice of a friend, family member, or coworker, while approximately 13 percent used CAM because of a recommendation from a health care provider. Fewer used CAM because conventional medical treatments did not help (5 percent) or because conventional treatments were too expensive (2 percent). Although cancer survivors were more likely than the control group to talk about CAM use with their providers, they disclosed less than a quarter of their CAM use to them.

The authors of the analysis noted that this is the first study that uses a population-based approach to examine the specific motivations of cancer survivors for using CAM therapies, as well as the degree of communication between cancer survivors and their health care providers. Although cancer survivors communicated more about their CAM use than the general population, the authors emphasized the overall need for improving communication between patients and providers about CAM use to help ensure coordinated care.

Reference
Mao JJ, Palmer CS, Healy KE, et al. Complementary and alternative medicine use among cancer survivors: a population-based study. Journal of Cancer Survivorship: Research and Practice. 2011;5(1):8–17. ► Complementary and alternative medicine use among c... [J Cancer Surviv. 2011] - PubMed result



Additional Resources
Cancer Prevention and Treatment ► Cancer Prevention and Treatment [NCCAM Health Information]

Cancer and CAM (NCI) ► Complementary and Alternative Medicine - National Cancer Institute

CAM Use in the United States ► Statistics on CAM in the United States [NCCAM News and Events]

Tips for Talking With Your Health Care Providers About CAM ► Tips for Talking With Your Health Care Providers About CAM [NCCAM Backgrounder]


Cancer Survivors Are More Likely Than General Population to Use CAM, According to National Survey Analysis [NCCAM Research Results]



J Cancer Surviv. 2011 Mar;5(1):8-17. Epub 2010 Oct 6.
Complementary and alternative medicine use among cancer survivors: a population-based study.
Mao JJ, Palmer CS, Healy KE, Desai K, Amsterdam J.
SourceDepartment of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA. maoj@uphs.upenn.edu


Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among cancer survivors is high, yet less is known about reasons behind such use or the communication of CAM with conventional medical providers.

METHODS: Cross-sectional, multivariate logistic regression models were developed to evaluate the similarities and differences between cancer survivors and non-cancer controls in the 2007 National Health Interview Survey with 23,393 participants, including 1,471 cancer survivors.

RESULTS: Among cancer survivors, 66.5% reported ever using CAM and 43.3% having used CAM in the past year. When compared with the general population, cancer survivors used CAM more often for general disease prevention, immune enhancement, and for pain (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] 1.27, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.10-1.48; AOR 1.32, 95% CI 1.05-1.62; AOR 1.42, 95% CI 1.05-1.92, respectively). Cancer survivors were more likely to use CAM because of recommendations from their provider (AOR 1.54, 95% CI 1.26-1.88) and were more likely to disclose their CAM use to their provider (AOR 1.45, 95% CI 1.22-1.72). DISCUSSIONS/CONCLUSIONS: When compared to the general population, cancer survivors were more likely to use CAM and communicate this use with providers, indicating a growing integration of CAM in conventional medical care. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Cancer survivors are more likely than the general population to communicate CAM use with providers, suggesting greater integration of CAM use in conventional care. However, the majority of CAM use is still not being communicated to providers, indicating an important area for improvement in patient-centered care.

PMID:20924711[PubMed - in process]
Complementary and alternative medicine use among c... [J Cancer Surviv. 2011] - PubMed result