Herbal use among cancer patients during palliative or curative chemotherapy treatment in Norway.
OBJECTIVE
This survey aims to explore the differences between cancer patients undergoing chemotherapeutic treatment with palliative or curative intention with respect to concurrent herbal use, experiences of adverse effects, motives of herbal intake, and communication about herbal use with health care providers.


METHODS
One hundred and twelve adult cancer patients from the west coast of Central Norway, currently undergoing chemotherapeutic treatment, were recruited to a cross-sectional descriptive survey.


RESULTS
Palliative and curative patients used herbal remedies concurrent with chemotherapy equally frequent (37% and 38%). One palliative patient reported adverse effects when doubling the dose of injected mistletoe used. Garlic was only used by palliative patients (p = 0.009) who also tended to have a more frequent everyday herbal use (78% vs 67%, respectively) than curative patients (p = 0.075). Curative patients, however, used herbal remedies more often to counteract adverse reactions (31% vs 3%, respectively; p = 0.026). A bivariate logistic regression, which was adjusted for age, showed that palliative patients used herbal remedies more frequently to improve their immune system (adjusted OR = 7.5, 95% CI = 1.1-49.7).


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first survey comparing concurrent herbal use between cancer patients undergoing palliative or curative chemotherapy. Both groups frequently use herbal remedies concurrent with chemotherapy, but with a slightly different intent. The frequent concurrent use emphasizes the need for clinicians to include questions on complementary and alternative medicine in routine history taking and for further studies on possible herb-drug interactions among the cancer patient.
Engdal
Silje
S
Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Medical Technical Research Centre, 3rd Floor West, Olav Kyrresgt. 9, N-7489, Trondheim, Norway. silje.engdal@ntnu.no
Steinsbekk
Aslak
A
Klepp
Olbjørn
O
Nilsen
Odd Georg
OG
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D009664:Norway; D010166:Palliative Care; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents