Palliative in-patient cancer treatment in an anthroposophic hospital: I. Treatment patterns and compliance with anthroposophic medicine.
BACKGROUND
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and most of all anthroposophic medicine (AM) are important features of cancer treatment in Switzerland. While the number of epidemiological investigations into the use of such therapies is increasing, there is a distinct lack of reports regarding the combination of conventional and CAM methods.


METHODS
144 in-patients with advanced epithelial cancers were enrolled in a prospective quality-of-life (QoL) study at the Lukas Klinik (LK), Arlesheim, Switzerland. Tumor-related treatment was assessed 4 months prior to admission, during hospitalization and 4 months after baseline.


OBJECTIVE
We aimed at giving a detailed account of conventional, AM and CAM treatment patterns in palliative care, before, during and after hospitalization, with emphasis on compliance with AM after discharge.


RESULTS
Certain conventional treatments featured less during hospitalization than before but were resumed after discharge (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, sleeping pills, psychoactive drugs). Hormone therapy, corticosteroids, analgesics WHO III and antidepressants remained constant. AM treatment consisted of Iscador? (mistletoe), other plant- or mineral-derived medication, baths, massage, eurythmy, art therapy, counseling and lactovegetarian diet. Compliance after discharge was highest with Iscador (90%) and lowest with art therapy (14%). Many patients remained in the care of AM physicians. Other CAM and psychological methods were initially used by 39.9% of patients. After 4 months, the use had decreased with few exceptions.


CONCLUSIONS
During holistic palliative treatment in an anthroposophic hospital, certain conventional treatments featured less whereas others remained constant. After discharge, chemotherapy returned to previous levels, AM compliance remained high, the use of other CAM therapies low.
Heusser
Peter
P
Institute for Complementary Medicine KIKOM, University of Bern, Switzerland. peter.heusser@kikom.unibe.ch
Braun
Sarah Berger
SB
Ziegler
Renatus
R
Bertschy
Manuel
M
Helwig
Silke
S
van Wegberg
Brigitte
B
Cerny
Thomas
T
D026881:Acupuncture; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000887:Anthroposophy; D005260:Female; D006705:Homeopathy; D006782:Hospitals, Special; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D010166:Palliative Care; D010349:Patient Compliance