Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Feb 15;23(3):32.
doi: 10.1007/s11912-021-01024-y.

The Presence of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Recommendations in Head and Neck Cancer Guidelines: Systematic Review and Quality Assessment

Jeremy Y Ng  1 , Ekaterina Dogadova  2
Affiliations

The Presence of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Recommendations in Head and Neck Cancer Guidelines: Systematic Review and Quality Assessment

Jeremy Y Ng et al. Curr Oncol Rep. .

Abstract

Purpose of review: A high proportion of head and neck cancer (HNC) patients use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), however, healthcare professionals generally have little knowledge about the safety and efficacy of these therapies. The purpose of this study was to determine the quantity and assess the quality of CAM recommendations across clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for the treatment and/or management of HNC.

Recent findings: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL were systematically searched for HNC CPGs published between 2009 and April 2020; the Guidelines International Network and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health websites were also were searched. Eligible CPGs containing CAM recommendations were assessed twice with the Appraisal of Guidelines, Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) instrument, once for the overall CPG and once for the CAM sections. Of 305 unique search results, 7 CPGs mentioned CAM and 4 CPGs made CAM recommendations. The overall CPG scored higher than the CAM section for 4 of 6 domains (overall, CAM): scope and purpose (93.8%, 93.8%), clarity of presentation (88.2%, 64.6%), stakeholder involvement (68.8%, 39.6%), rigor of development (58.3%, 34.6%), editorial independence (42.7%, 42.7%), and applicability (51.6%, 19.8%). Quality varied within and between CPGs. Highly scoring CPGs serve as evidence-based resources that clinicians can use to inform their patients about safe and effective CAM use; CPGs achieving variable or lower scores could be improved in future updates based on currently available guideline development/implementation tools. Future research should identify CAM therapies supported by sufficient evidence to be included as part of HNC CPGs.

Keywords: AGREE II; Clinical practice guideline; Complementary and alternative medicine; Head and neck cancer; Systematic review.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance
    1. Head and neck cancer guide. Cancer.Net Doctor Approved Patient Information from ASCO. 2020. https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/head-and-neck-cancer/introduction . Accessed 14 Jun 2020.
    1. Bray F, Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Siegel RL, Torre LA, Jemal A. Global cancer statistics 2018: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 2018;68(6):394–424.
    1. Vigneswaran N, Williams MD. Epidemiological trends in head and neck cancer and aids in diagnosis. Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am. 2014;26(2):123–41. - DOI
    1. •• Matovina C, Birkeland AC, Zick S, Shuman AG. Integrative medicine in head and neck cancer. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2017;156(2):228–37 This article synthesized recently published data to illustrate the decision-making inherent in the use of integrative medicine among patients with head and neck cancer, to address the ethical issues inherent in combining integrative and traditional treatment methods, and to highlight available tools to enhance awareness of integrative medicine by the providers of head and neck cancer. It also provides important implications for practice. - DOI
    1. Complementary, alternative, or integrative health: What’s in a name? National Institutes of Health, National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). 2016. https://nccih.nih.gov/health/integrative-health . Accessed 14 Jun 2020.

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources