title: Survey of German non-medical practitioners regarding complementary and alternative medicine in oncology.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In total, 40-70% of cancer patients use complementary or alternative medicine (CAM). Many of them ask for advice from non-medical practitioners (NMPs). Our aim was to investigate the attitude of NMPs regarding their treatments for cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey was performed on members of NMP associations, using an online questionnaire on diagnosis and treatment, goals for using CAM, communication with the oncologist, and sources of information.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 1,500 members of the NMP associations, 299 took part. The treatments were found to be heterogeneous. Homeopathy is used by 45% of the NMPs; 10% believe it to be a treatment directly against cancer. Herbal therapy, vitamins, orthomolecular medicine, ordinal therapy, mistletoe preparations, acupuncture, and cancer diets are used by more than 10% of the NMPs. None of the treatments is discussed with the respective physician on a regular basis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Many therapies provided by NMPs are biologically based and therefore may interfere with conventional cancer therapy. Thus, patients are at risk of interactions, especially as most NMPs do not adjust their therapies to those of the oncologist. Moreover, risks may arise from these CAM methods as NMPs partly believe them to be useful anticancer treatments. This may lead to the delay or even omission of effective therapies.
authors.affiliation: J. W. Goethe University, Frankfurt/M., Germany.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Koehl
authors.forename: Karsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Muenstedt
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Micke
authors.forename: Ralph
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Muecke
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Buentzel
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stoll
authors.forename: Franz Josef
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Prott
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dennert
authors.forename: Bianca
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Senf
authors.forename: Jutta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huebner
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005858:Germany; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*