Bleumer Tobias, Abel Janine, Bodden Lilian, Ortiz Miriam, Stintzing Sebastian, Pelzer Uwe, Stephan Lars Uwe
Department of Hematology, Oncology and Tumor Immunology, Berlin Institute of Health, Charité , Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Department of Internal Medicine 1, Hospital of Wolfsburg, Medical Center of the University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
Oncol Res Treat. 2025 Jun 4:1-7. doi: 10.1159/000546767.
Approximately 50% of cancer patients use practices of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). However, some of these methods may interact with oncological medication. Despite the generally increasing use of CAM in recent years, its prevalence has been studied insufficiently among cancer patients in Germany. Thus, this study aimed to assess the recent use of CAM among cancer patients, evaluate communication on CAM between patients and healthcare providers, and present an overview of the most frequently used practices.
A cross-sectional study was conducted using a standardized questionnaire including 19 CAM methods as well as sociodemographic and clinical parameters. Also, aspects of communication and quality of life were assessed. Patients were surveyed between September 2022 and June 2023, involving various entities such as breast cancer, lymphoma, and gastrointestinal malignancies. Data analysis was conducted using the Kruskal-Wallis test and one-factor ANOVA.
In total, 154 patients (65.5% female) were included. 88.3% of patients reported use of CAM practices either before receiving their oncological diagnosis or after or both. Out of all patients, 62.3% of patients stated to have begun using at least one CAM practice post-diagnosis. 36.6% of all patients reported to have received information on potential drug interactions by their attending physician, while 60.8% informed their physician about their use of CAM. The most frequently used CAM methods were dietary supplements, massage therapy, and yoga. Overall, female patients reported use of CAM significantly more often than males.
Use of CAM methods appears to be common in this sample of cancer patients. To mitigate risks associated with potential drug interactions, enhanced communication and education between patients and healthcare providers is essential. Integrating a standardized questionnaire on CAM methods into routine oncological care may improve patient safety and treatment outcomes.
约50%的癌症患者使用补充和替代医学（CAM）方法。然而，其中一些方法可能会与肿瘤药物相互作用。尽管近年来CAM的使用总体上呈上升趋势，但在德国癌症患者中对其流行情况的研究仍不充分。因此，本研究旨在评估癌症患者近期对CAM的使用情况，评估患者与医疗服务提供者之间关于CAM的沟通情况，并概述最常用的方法。
采用标准化问卷进行横断面研究，问卷包括19种CAM方法以及社会人口统计学和临床参数。此外，还评估了沟通和生活质量方面的情况。在2022年9月至2023年6月期间对患者进行了调查，涉及乳腺癌、淋巴瘤和胃肠道恶性肿瘤等不同病种。使用Kruskal-Wallis检验和单因素方差分析进行数据分析。
共纳入154例患者（65.5%为女性）。88.3%的患者报告在接受肿瘤诊断之前、之后或两者之后都使用过CAM方法。在所有患者中，62.3%的患者表示在诊断后开始使用至少一种CAM方法。36.6%的患者报告从主治医生处获得了关于潜在药物相互作用的信息，而60.8%的患者告知医生他们使用了CAM。最常用的CAM方法是膳食补充剂、按摩疗法和瑜伽。总体而言，女性患者报告使用CAM的频率明显高于男性。
在这个癌症患者样本中，CAM方法的使用似乎很普遍。为降低与潜在药物相互作用相关的风险，患者与医疗服务提供者之间加强沟通和教育至关重要。将关于CAM方法的标准化问卷纳入常规肿瘤护理中可能会提高患者安全性和治疗效果。
