title: Use of complementary and alternative medicine among Korean cancer patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is now being increasingly used among cancer patients. The objectives of our study were to assess the prevalence, types, cost, subjective effects, and side effects of CAM use, reasons for CAM use, characteristics of CAM users compared to those of nonusers, and patients' expectations of doctors regarding their CAM use among Korean cancer patients at a single cancer center.
  
  
  METHODS
  From April to August, 2003, we interviewed 186 cancer patients hospitalized in the Korea Cancer Center Hospital using a structured questionnaire, and analyzed the data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  78.5% of experimental subjects (146 patients) had been treated with at least one type of CAM, in addition to conventional Western treatment, with a mean monthly cost of 1,380,000 Won/person (approximately, 1,100 U.S. dollars on July, 2004). The most prevalent types of CAM used by these patients included medicinal mushrooms (67.1%), herbs (54.1%), vegetable diets (50.6%), and ginseng (46.5%). The main reported reasons for the use of CAM in addition to conventional medicine were nutritional support (19.1%) and physical strengthening (17.8%). 5% of CAM users experienced side effects. The younger and more educated the patients were, the more likely they were to employ CAM. 66% of CAM users wanted to discuss CAM techniques with their doctors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More than two-thirds of cancer patients used various kinds of CAM, incurring considerable costs. Therefore, in order to help patients make informed decisions, medical society should be open to communication with patients. Not only the scientific aspects, but also the economic aspects of CAM usage should be examined more thoroughly, in order to ensure proper distribution of medical resources.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Korea Cancer Center Hospital, Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Min Jae
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sang Dae
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Duck Ryung
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yun Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Wee Sik
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.forename: Seung Seog
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Ki
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yu Cheol
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Chul Ju
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Jin Oh
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hyeon-Seok
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Yeon-Hee
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Cheol Hyeon
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ka-Hee
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Yoon Yong
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sook-Hyang
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Jeong
mesh_terms: D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires