Verhoef M J, Hagen N, Pelletier G, Forsyth P
Department of Community Health Sciences, The University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Neurology. 1999 Feb;52(3):617-22. doi: 10.1212/wnl.52.3.617.
The extent of alternative therapy use in brain tumor patients is unknown, but it may be frequent and seems important to those who use it.
To characterize alternative therapy use in brain tumor patients.
Prospective questionnaire-based survey of 167 brain tumor patients who attended a cancer center in Southern Alberta. Physicians completed forms describing clinical information such as disease status.
The response rate was 91% (167/184). Twenty-four percent of patients used alternative therapies and often more than one therapy at the same time. Motivation to use these therapies was influenced by the desire for patient-focused treatment and a perceived need to take charge. Alternative therapy users were younger (p = 0.04) and more likely to be on sick or disability leave (p = 0.02), to come in for repeat visits (p = 0.05), and to have received conventional treatments (p = 0.01). Users tended to have lower quality of life with respect to physical well-being, functional well-being, and a specific brain tumor subscale. Clinical variables, such as disease status, tumor type, and Karnofsky Performance Score, were not related to alternative therapy use. Major changes in number and types of alternative therapy use occurred during the study period. No major side effects or tumor responses were seen with alternative therapies.
Alternative therapy use in brain tumor patients is common and may reflect unmet patient needs with respect to their cancer care within the current model of health care delivery.
脑肿瘤患者使用替代疗法的程度尚不清楚，但这种情况可能很常见，且对使用者来说似乎很重要。
描述脑肿瘤患者使用替代疗法的情况。
对167名在艾伯塔省南部一家癌症中心就诊的脑肿瘤患者进行基于问卷的前瞻性调查。医生填写描述疾病状态等临床信息的表格。
应答率为91%（167/184）。24%的患者使用替代疗法，且常常同时使用不止一种疗法。使用这些疗法的动机受到以患者为中心的治疗愿望以及一种认为需要掌控局面的观念的影响。使用替代疗法的患者更年轻（p = 0.04），更有可能休病假或残疾假（p = 0.02），更有可能前来复诊（p = 0.05），以及更有可能接受过传统治疗（p = 0.01）。在身体幸福感、功能幸福感以及一个特定的脑肿瘤子量表方面，使用者的生活质量往往较低。临床变量，如疾病状态、肿瘤类型和卡诺夫斯基表现评分，与替代疗法的使用无关。在研究期间，替代疗法使用的数量和类型发生了重大变化。未观察到替代疗法有重大副作用或肿瘤反应。
脑肿瘤患者使用替代疗法很常见，这可能反映出在当前医疗保健模式下，患者在癌症护理方面未得到满足的需求。
