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
. 2022 Aug 1:2022:2923967.
doi: 10.1155/2022/2923967. eCollection 2022.

Complementary and Integrative Approaches to Cancer: A Pilot Survey of Attitudes and Habits among Cancer Patients in Italy

Massimo Bonucci  1 , Andrea Geraci  2 , Dina Pero  3 , Cristina Villivà  1 , Daniele Cordella  4 , Maria Condello  5 , Stefania Meschini  5 , Laura Del Campo  3 , Franco Tomassi  1 , Alessandro Porcu  3 , Francesco De Lorenzo  3 , Francesco Lozupone  2
Affiliations

Complementary and Integrative Approaches to Cancer: A Pilot Survey of Attitudes and Habits among Cancer Patients in Italy

Massimo Bonucci et al. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. .

Abstract

Background: Cancer patients are among the main consumers of traditional, complementary, integrative, and alternative medicine (TCIM) such as natural products (herbals, integrators, etc.) and mind and body practices (yoga, acupuncture, etc.).

Methods: A questionnaire on TCIM was submitted to 415 Italian cancer patients. The questionnaire consisted of three sections: (i) biographical and clinical information; (ii) use of natural substances; and (iii) use of mind-body practices.

Results: 406 patients completed the questionnaire. The prevalence of TCIM use was 72.3%. Of them, 75.6% started to use TCIM after a tumor diagnosis. The main reasons for using TCIM were to mitigate side effects (65.0%), to regain physical and mental balance (35.9%), to relieve pain (18.3%), and to improve the efficacy of cancer therapy (16.0%). 44.7% of patients taking natural products used them during conventional therapies (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, etc.), and in 67.5% of cases without consulting a doctor. As a consequence, only about 50% of patients taking natural substances used these compounds appropriately, and the most common errors were related with the purpose of reducing the side effects of the therapy (52.3%) and for boosting immune system (32.1%).

Conclusions: There is an impelling need to provide patients with scientifically validated information to raise awareness about the benefits and risks of using TCIM.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The distribution of patients by tumor type.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Frequency of use of TCIM. Frequency of use of BPs or MBP among users of BP (a) or MBP (b), respectively.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Patients' motivations for using TCIM among BP users (black bars) or MBP users (grey bars). Multiple responses were allowed.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Personal experience with TCIMs. Rate of patients and perception of benefits by patients taking BP (a)and patients taking MBP (b).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Sung H., Ferlay J., Siegel R. L., et al. Global cancer statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians . 2021;71(3):209–249. doi: 10.3322/caac.21660. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Global Burden of Disease Cancer Collaboration. Global, regional, and national cancer incidence, mortality, years of life lost, years lived with disability, and disability-adjusted life-years for 29 cancer groups, 1990 to 2017: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study. JAMA Oncology . 2019;5(12):1749–1768. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2019.2996. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Falzone L., Salomone S., Libra M. Evolution of cancer pharmacological treatments at the turn of the third millennium. Frontiers in Pharmacology . 2018;9:p. 1300. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2018.01300. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Pearce A., Haas M., Viney R., et al. Incidence and severity of self-reported chemotherapy side effects in routine care: a prospective cohort study. PLoS One . 2017;12(10) doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184360.e0184360 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hassett M. J., O’Malley A. J., Pakes J. R., Newhouse J. P., Earle C. C. Frequency and cost of chemotherapy-related serious adverse effects in a population sample of women with breast cancer. Journal of the National Cancer Institute: Journal of the National Cancer Institute . 2006;98(16):1108–1117. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djj305. - DOI - PubMed