title: Complementary and alternative medicine use in patients with gynecological cancers in Europe.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to assess the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) specifically in women with gynecological cancer. The design of the study was of a descriptive cross-sectional survey using a 27-item questionnaire. The study was conducted in 11 countries in Europe as part of a larger project. Data were available from 72 gynecological cancer patients. Among the participants, 40.3% used CAM after the diagnosis with cancer. The most popular CAM modalities used were herbal medicine (34.5%), relaxation techniques (21.4%), and vitamins/minerals (20.7%). A very high level of satisfaction with CAM use was reported. Patients used CAM to increase the body's ability to fight the cancer or to improve physical and emotional well-being. The main sources of information about CAM were informal (friends/family or the media). It is important to discuss CAM use with gynecological cancer patients, as they frequently use it and such use may have implications for clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Manchester, United Kingdom. alex.molassiotis@manchester.ac.uk
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Molassiotis
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Browall
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Milovics
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Panteli
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Patiraki
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Ortega
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000628:therapy*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged