title: Complementary and alternative medicine use by patients receiving curative-intent chemotherapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine which types of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are being used by cancer patients commencing curative-intent chemotherapy, whether the CAM taken has the potential to affect treatment efficacy, the reasons for patients' decisions to use CAM and whether these patients would like information on CAM safety with chemotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-five solid tumor malignancy patients receiving curative-intent treatment attending a cancer care day unit were interviewed about their CAM use on the day of receiving their first dose of chemotherapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty percent of study participants were using CAM at the start of chemotherapy treatment. Biologically active CAM assessed as having potential to interact with prescribed chemotherapy was ingested by 27% of patients, all of whom had routinely used CAM prior to cancer diagnosis. CAM was used by 51% of patients for supportive care reasons and by 28% of patients with the intention of treating their cancer. Patients' CAM decision-making was influenced by advice from family and friends, practitioners and casual acquaintances. Thirteen percent of patients were told by a CAM advice-giver not to have chemotherapy. The majority of patients (84%) would have liked to receive information on which CAM is safe to use with chemotherapy before treatment commenced.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients being treated with curative intent, particularly those with a history of CAM use, may be taking biologically active CAM with potential to compromise their chemotherapy treatment. These patients want cancer-care health professionals to provide them evidence-based information on safe CAM use with chemotherapy and may be contending with alternative health advice to not have chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.|Sunshine Coast Cancer Care Services, Nambour General Hospital, Nambour, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Alexandra M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Clavarino
authors.affiliation: Sunshine Coast Cancer Care Services, Nambour General Hospital, Nambour, Australia.|School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Jeremy E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Long
authors.affiliation: Sunshine Coast Cancer Care Services, Nambour General Hospital, Nambour, Australia.|School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Chris M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Anstey
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Kathryn J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Steadman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic
keywords: alternative medicine; chemotherapy; complementary medicine