Rojas Rojas Teresa, Bourdy Geneviève, Ruiz Eloy, Cerapio Juan-Pablo, Pineau Pascal, Gardon Jacques, Doimi Franco, Deparis Xavier, Deharo Eric, Bertani Stéphane
1 Aix-Marseille Université, IRD, INSERM, UMR 912, Marseille, France.
2 Université de Toulouse, IRD, UPS, UMR 152, Toulouse, France.
Integr Cancer Ther. 2018 Mar;17(1):52-64. doi: 10.1177/1534735416681642. Epub 2016 Dec 8.
The highest burden of liver cancer occurs in developing countries, where the use of herbal medicine (HM) is still widespread. Despite this trend, few studies have been conducted to report HM practices of patients with a hepatic tumor in the developing world. Hence, this study aimed to document the use of HM among patients with liver cancer in Peru.
A comparative behavioral epidemiological survey was conducted among liver cancer patients attending the National Cancer Institute of Peru. Information was obtained by direct interviews based on a semistructured questionnaire. The use of HM in Peruvian liver cancer patients was reported, first, regarding general consumption prior to the onset of disease, and second, after the appearance of symptoms that patients would relate to their tumor. In parallel, general consumption of HM in noncancerous people was assessed as a comparative figure. A correspondence analysis was performed to reveal potential associations between the symptoms of cancer and the specific use of HM.
Eighty-eight patients and 117 noncancerous individuals participated in the survey. Overall, 68.3% of the people interviewed claimed to use HM on a regular basis for general health preservation. Furthermore, 56.8% of the patients turned to plants first to treat the disorders for which they later came to the cancer care center. When compared with the number of plant species used routinely (n = 78), a selection of plants was made by patients in response to the symptoms of cancer (n = 46). At least 2 plant species, Aloe vera and Morinda citrifolia, were significantly associated with the treatment of liver cancer-related symptoms in the patient group.
The present study is the first survey on the HM practices of patients with liver cancer in Latin America and, more broadly, in the developing world. Our findings confirm that HM remains one of the principal primary health care resources in Peru, even for a severe disease like liver cancer. These traditional, complementary and alternative medicine practices should be taken into consideration in Peruvian health programs aiming to educate the population in cancer prevention and treatment, as well as integrative cancer management.
肝癌负担最重的地区是发展中国家，在这些国家，草药的使用仍然很普遍。尽管有这种趋势，但在发展中世界，很少有研究报告肝肿瘤患者使用草药的情况。因此，本研究旨在记录秘鲁肝癌患者使用草药的情况。
对秘鲁国家癌症研究所的肝癌患者进行了一项比较行为流行病学调查。通过基于半结构化问卷的直接访谈获取信息。首先报告了秘鲁肝癌患者在疾病发作前使用草药的一般情况，其次是在患者出现与肿瘤相关症状后使用草药的情况。同时，评估了非癌症人群使用草药的一般情况作为对比数据。进行对应分析以揭示癌症症状与草药具体使用之间的潜在关联。
88名患者和117名非癌症个体参与了调查。总体而言，68.3%的受访者称经常使用草药来保持身体健康。此外，56.8%的患者最初求助于植物来治疗那些后来使他们前往癌症治疗中心的疾病。与常规使用的植物种类数量（n = 78）相比，患者针对癌症症状选择了一些植物（n = 46）。在患者组中，至少有两种植物，即芦荟和海巴戟，与肝癌相关症状的治疗有显著关联。
本研究是拉丁美洲乃至更广泛的发展中世界首次对肝癌患者使用草药情况的调查。我们的研究结果证实，即使对于像肝癌这样的严重疾病，草药在秘鲁仍然是主要的初级卫生保健资源之一。在秘鲁旨在对民众进行癌症预防、治疗以及综合癌症管理教育的卫生项目中，应考虑这些传统、补充和替代医学做法。
