Department of Therapy and Rehabilitation, Vocational School of Health Services, Fırat University, Elazig, Turkey.
Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Fırat University, Elazig, Turkey.
Work. 2024;78(4):1161-1172. doi: 10.3233/WOR-230195.
Complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) are being uses more often with cancer patients.
This study aimed to investigate attitudes, use and influencing factors of CAM among cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on 407 cancer patients in Turkey. The study was conducted during July-September 2021 using a Questionnaire that included a Complementary, Alternative and Conventional Medicine Attitude Scale (CACMAS). Pearson's Chi-Squared Test, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal Wallis, and logistic regression were all utilized.
The findings revealed that 76.2% of the participants stated that they used CAM methods while undergoing cancer treatment, and 65.2% of those who did so kept from sharing this information to medical professionals. Phytotherapy was the most common CAM method used by patients. The use of CAM was found to be significantly higher among those who were 55-64 years of age, married, secondary school graduates, non-smokers, CAM users before their cancer diagnosis, and who had a family history of cancer (p < 0.05). The participants' average CACMAS scores were 112.20±16.53. Among those who used CAM during treatment, non-smoking, overweight-obese participants had higher CACMAS scores (p < 0.05).
Due to the high prevalence of CAM usage among cancer patients and possible interaction effects with chemotherapy medications, it is important for healthcare professionals to assess and educate cancer patients regarding CAM use. Additional research is needed to determine potential interactions, as well as pros and cons of CAM use during cancer treatment.
补充和替代医学（CAM）在癌症患者中越来越多地被使用。
本研究旨在调查 COVID-19 大流行期间癌症患者对 CAM 的态度、使用情况和影响因素。
本研究为土耳其的 407 例癌症患者进行了描述性、横断面研究。该研究于 2021 年 7 月至 9 月期间进行，使用了包括补充、替代和常规医学态度量表（CACMAS）在内的问卷。使用 Pearson 卡方检验、Mann-Whitney U 检验、Kruskal Wallis 检验和逻辑回归进行分析。
研究结果显示，76.2%的参与者表示在癌症治疗期间使用了 CAM 方法，而 65.2%的人在使用 CAM 方法时并未将此信息告知医疗专业人员。植物疗法是患者最常用的 CAM 方法。55-64 岁、已婚、中学毕业、不吸烟、癌症诊断前使用过 CAM 且有癌症家族史的患者使用 CAM 的比例更高（p<0.05）。参与者的平均 CACMAS 评分为 112.20±16.53。在治疗期间使用 CAM 的患者中，不吸烟、超重肥胖的患者 CACMAS 评分更高（p<0.05）。
由于癌症患者中 CAM 的使用率较高，并且可能与化疗药物发生相互作用，因此医疗保健专业人员评估和教育癌症患者使用 CAM 非常重要。需要进一步研究以确定 CAM 在癌症治疗期间使用的潜在相互作用以及利弊。
