title: Use of complementary and alternative medicine: A multicenter cross-sectional study in 1089 melanoma patients.
abstract: About half of patients with cancer use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). So far, data on melanoma patients are missing.
  
  
  
  The aim of our study was to evaluate the prevalence and predictors for the use of CAM in this patient group.
  
  
  
  All patients with melanoma being attended at one of 7 skin cancer centres in Germany between March 2012 and March 2013 were invited to take part in a survey using a structured questionnaire on CAM. The physicians filled in a second part on the diagnosis, state and former and current therapy.
  
  
  
  Nearly half of the 1089 participants (41.0%) used CAM and half of those using CAM (56.8%) marked that this made them feel better. Biological-based CAMs which consists of substances taken were used by 25.9% of all patients (63.1% of those using CAM). Predictors of CAM use were education, psychological support, interest in CAM and previous CAM use. CAM users show higher physical activity, more often use psychosocial help and have contact with a self-help group. Family and friends (41.0%) as well as print media (41.7%) are the main sources of information. Most important reasons to use CAM are to strengthen one's own forces (57.7%) or the immune system (63.4%) and to be able to do something for oneself (53.7%).
  
  
  
  Communication on CAM should become a regular topic in counselling melanoma patients. To increase safety, patients and physicians must have access to evidence-based information on these methods and their interactions with modern cancer treatments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center Mainz, Germany. Electronic address: carmen.loquai@unimedizin-mainz.de.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Loquai
authors.affiliation: Institute of Occupational Medicine, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen University, Germany.
authors.forename: Dagmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dechent
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Marlene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garzarolli
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Wald Klinikum Gera, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaatz
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Katharina C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Kaehler
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kurschat
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Meiss
authors.affiliation: Department of Radio-Oncology, Franziskus Hospital Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Micke
authors.affiliation: Department of Radio-Oncology, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Ralph
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Muecke
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Clinic Offenburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Karsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Muenstedt
authors.affiliation: Practice of Dermatology, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Klinikum Dortmund gGmbH, Germany.
authors.forename: Dorothée
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nashan
authors.affiliation: Clinic Herzoghoehe Bayreuth, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stoll
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University Medical Center Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schmidtmann
authors.affiliation: Dr. Senckenberg Chronomedical Institute, J.W. Goethe University, Germany.
authors.forename: Jutta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huebner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008545:Melanoma / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Complementary and alternative medicine; Melanoma; Patient needs