Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among cancer patients: prevalence, patterns, and perceived benefit prior to admission ASCO 2003 Abstract No: 2251 Category: Health Services Research Author(s): P. G. Vashi, C. A. Lammersfeld, J. Grutsch, T. Wodek, R. Thirumala, C. G. Lis; Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Midwestern Regional Medical Center, Zion, IL; University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, Chicago, IL Abstract: The literature reports that many cancer patients use Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). Many of the published surveys use definitions of CAM that are broad, including practices widely used by the general population, such as prayer, exercise, and multi-vitamin use. In this study, we focus on the prevalence, practice patterns, and self-reported perceived benefit of herbal and vitamin (HV) supplement use among cancer patients. After obtaining informed consent, 107 patients completed the McCune Questionnaire (MQ), a validated instrument that contains a list of 56 HV supplements. Baseline data were obtained on demographics and diagnosis. The prevalence of HV supplement use was measured after excluding use of multivitamins. Under this definition, 61 (57%) patients used HV supplements prior to admission at our institution, while 46 (42.99%) reported no HV use; of those who used HV supplements,10 (9.35%) used one, 13 (12.15%) used two, 8 (7.48%) used three or four, three (2.80%) used 5, and 19 (17.76%) used more than 6 supplements. The most frequently used HV supplements were Beta Carotene (23.36%), Coenzyme Q (19.63%), EPA (18.69%) and Selenium (21.50%). Only 9 patients (8.4%) reported using melatonin, the most widely studied CAM agent in the medical and scientific cancer literature. Of the most commonly used HV supplements, the fraction of patients who reported perceived benefit ranged from 23%-36.4%. Women were much more likely to use more HV supplements than men (p=0.001). There was no statistically significant relationship between age (p=.334), sex (p=.46), race (p=.357), educational status (p=.31), income level (p=.436), and use of multivitamins (p=.687). The prevalence of HV supplement use was significantly lower in patients with lung ca (3/16; 18.75%) than colon (11/14; 78.6%) and breast (23/31; 74%); two-tailed chi-square (p <0.005). In our study, we found the use of HV supplements among cancer patients to be quite common, however the patients' perception of benefit was modest. Currently, we are developing a program to systematically evaluate the benefits of HV supplements in the cancer treatment setting. ASCO Abstract #101 Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.