Keene Martin R, Heslop Ian M, Sabesan Sabe S, Glass Beverley D
College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia.
College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia.
Complement Ther Med. 2022 Dec;71:102879. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2022.102879. Epub 2022 Aug 23.
This study aimed to investigate CAMs used, and reasons for and disclosure of this use by cancer patients in a regional hospital in North Queensland, Australia.
Patients attending the Day Oncology Unit of the Townsville University Hospital were invited to participate in a self-completed questionnaire or telephone interview regarding perspectives of their CAM use. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-squared and independent t-tests were performed to allow comparison between the responses by CAM users and non-users.
102 completed questionnaires were used in the analysis, where 40.2 % of respondents were found to be using some form of CAM. Cannabis, magnesium, and massage were the most prominent therapies used, with cannabis use in cancer, not commonly reported in prior literature. The main reasons given for using CAM were to treat symptoms of cancer, side-effects of treatment or to improve general health. Two-thirds of these respondents disclosed their CAM use to health professionals mostly to obtain a professional opinion or due to concerns of interactions with cancer treatment. CAM users were statistically more likely to have used CAM prior to their cancer diagnosis and have lower emotional wellbeing than non-users. Non-CAM users indicated that a lack of knowledge of CAM or concerns regarding interactions with cancer treatment were the most popular reasons for not adopting these therapies.
While lower than the averages of previously published CAM use, our study highlights that there is still a significant group of cancer patients in the North Queensland region using CAMs.
本研究旨在调查澳大利亚北昆士兰一家地区医院癌症患者使用的补充替代医学（CAM）、使用原因及使用情况的披露情况。
邀请汤斯维尔大学医院日间肿瘤科的患者参与一份关于其使用CAM观点的自填问卷或电话访谈。使用描述性统计分析数据，并进行卡方检验和独立t检验，以便比较CAM使用者和非使用者的回答。
102份完整问卷用于分析，发现40.2%的受访者使用某种形式的CAM。大麻、镁和按摩是最常用的疗法，癌症患者使用大麻的情况在先前文献中并不常见。使用CAM的主要原因是治疗癌症症状、治疗副作用或改善总体健康状况。这些受访者中有三分之二向医疗专业人员披露了他们使用CAM的情况，主要是为了获得专业意见或担心与癌症治疗相互作用。与非使用者相比，CAM使用者在癌症诊断之前更有可能使用过CAM，且情绪健康状况较低。非CAM使用者表示，对CAM缺乏了解或担心与癌症治疗相互作用是不采用这些疗法的最常见原因。
虽然低于先前公布的CAM使用平均水平，但我们的研究强调，北昆士兰地区仍有相当一部分癌症患者在使用CAM。
