Usage pattern of Complementary and alternative medicine in Cancer Patients: An Indian perspective
PO-1464
Abstract
Usage pattern of Complementary and alternative medicine in Cancer Patients: An Indian perspective
Authors: Jhansi Pattanaik1, Vibhay Pareek2, Mansi Barthwal2, Soham Sanyal3, Suyash Pandey4, Gopikrishna Shyam3, Sushant Nirala3, Danda Vamsi Sai Praveen3, Sai Kumar Samala3, Devangana Bora3, Sudatta Mandal3, Adila A3, Vivek Ghosh3, Aswin Ravi3, Ajit Priy Solanki1, Rahul Sisodiya3, Manvendra Singh Tanwar3, Daya Nand Sharma3, Supriya Mallick2
1IRCH,AIIMS, Radiation Oncology, New Delhi, India; 2National Cancer Institute, AIIMS, Radiation Oncology, New Delhi, India; 3IRCH, AIIMS, Radiation Oncology, New Delhi, India; 4IRCH, AIIMS, Radiation Oncolgy, New Delhi, India
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Purpose or Objective
Cancer management is a major stigma in India and due to the known
side-effects of the available treatment, patients often turn to complementary
and alternative medicine (CAM). The present study was conducted to find
prevalence rate of CAM use among cancer patients undergoing allopathic
treatment in a health facility and to compare the CAM usage patterns among
patients at different stages of diagnosis and treatment.
Material and Methods
In this hospital-based cross-sectional study, conducted among patients
attending Radiotherapy Outpatient Department (OPD) at NCI, AIIMS and IRCH,
AIIMS, New Delhi, a total of 350 cancer patients participated in the study.
Statistical methods like normal test of proportions, Chi-square (χ2)
test, logistic regression analysis for estimation of risk factors of CAM use
were applied to carry out the data analyses using Statistical Package for
Social Sciences (SPSS)-16 software package. Further to investigate some
psychosocial, cultural, and demographic correlates/predictors of CAM use were
assessed.
Results
Among the 350 patients assessed 275 returned the survey-based questionnaire.
The most common CAM therapy in use was found to be ayurvedic treatment reported
by 23.4% patients. Overall CAM use was found to be 39.6%. Among the factors
associated with CAM use, low socioeconomic status contributed maximum. Among
the CAM users, ayurvedic treatment contributed maximum to symptom relief
followed by homeopathic medications. The most common reason for CAM usage was
found to be the previous benefits gained by other patients as was reported by
26.4% users. The analysis revealed a significant
correlation between education and CAM use during therapy and past use.
Conclusion
Our survey explores the impact of CAM use among cancer population in
India and the need for conducting further studies to evaluate the efficacy of
various CAM therapies in use for cancer especially in advanced cases. It is necessary that health professional explore the
use of CAM with their cancer patients, educate them about potentially
beneficial therapies in light of the limited available evidence of
effectiveness, and work towards an integrated model of healthcare provision.