Complementary and alternative medicine in pediatric oncology: availability and institutional policies in Canada--a report from the Children's Oncology Group.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is used frequently by pediatric oncology patients. A survey exploring the institutional practices and policies surrounding CAM use in pediatric oncology patients was completed by 17 pediatric hematology/oncology centers in Canada. We found that CAM was offered in only 18% of the institutions, but 94% of the communities. Only 6% of oncology divisions made direct referrals to community CAM providers, and only 20% of the centers had policies regarding use of CAM therapies for their patients. Despite published widespread use of CAM therapies, our study demonstrates that institutional CAM resources and policies on CAM are present in much lower proportions.