[Does non-conventional complementary therapies improve the quality of life of cancer patients? A critical literature review].

Despite substantial progress in biomedicine, a majority of advanced cancer diseases currently cannot be cured. In addition to conventional medical symptom management (palliation) and improvement of quality of life, methods of complementary medicine and supportive psychotherapy are increasingly applied. Whereas the efficacy of biomedical and psychotherapeutic interventions has been documented, controlled investigations of complementary methods are rare and their efficacy is poorly documented or is viewed controversially. Complementary methods are defined as methods applied by conventionally trained physicians and are based on tradition, or the perspective of human arts, which are not investigated or taught at universities. As an example of the latter, anthroposophic medicine is presented. Finally, we present a project developed within the scope of NFP 34, where the efficacy of a routine biomedical treatment is compared with an additional anthroposophic and psychotherapeutic intervention respectively.