Carlo Fremd1, Carolin C Hack2, Andreas Schneeweiss1, Geraldine Rauch3, Diethelm Wallwiener4, Sara Yvonne Brucker4, Florin-Andrei Taran4, Andreas Hartkopf4, Friedrich Overkamp5, Hans Tesch6, Tanja Fehm7, Peyman Hadji8, Wolfgang Janni9, Diana Lüftner10, Michael P Lux2, Volkmar Müller11, Johannes Ettl12, Erik Belleville13, Christof Sohn14, Florian Schuetz14, Matthias M Beckmann2, Peter A Fasching2, Markus Wallwiener15. 1. National Center for Tumor Diseases, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. 2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Erlangen, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen/European Metropolitan Area Nuremberg (CCC ER-EMN), INF 440, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany. 3. Institute of Medical Biometry and Informatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. 4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany. 5. Outpatient Department of Hematology and Oncology, Recklinghausen, Germany. 6. Onkologie Bethanien, Frankfurt, Germany. 7. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany. 8. Nordwest Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany. 9. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Ulm University Hospital, Ulm, Germany. 10. Department of Hematology, Oncology and Tumour Immunology Charité, University Hospital, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany. 11. Department of Gynecology, Hamburg-Eppendorf University Medical Center, Hamburg, Germany. 12. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany. 13. Clin-Sol Ltd, Würzburg, Germany. 14. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. 15. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. markus.wallwiener@med.uni-heidelberg.de.
Abstract
PURPOSE: The present study aims to analyze a cohort of advanced breast cancer patients in Germany to assess their interest in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and patient's use of most frequent CAM methods. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Based on the PREGNANT real-time breast cancer registry which is a multicenter study in Germany, questionnaires of 580 patients with advanced breast cancer were evaluated. The implemented questionnaire for CAM asked for general interest in CAM and for patient's use of different CAM methods at present and in the past. The interest and application of CAM were analyzed for association with patients' characteristics such as tumor, patient, and therapy characteristics. RESULTS: In total, 436 out of 580 (75%) patients claimed to be interested in CAM. Further, interest in CAM is significantly correlated with younger age and absence of metastasis at the time of diagnosis. Multivariate analysis confirmed the patient's age and distant disease status at the time of diagnosis as related to interest in CAM. A total of 56.4% of patients applied any CAM method in the past. Moreover, with increasing lines of therapies, the more frequent use of CAM was observed. Hereby, praying, vitamin supplements, and other food supplements were most frequently applied. CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrate high overall interest and frequent use of CAM in advanced breast cancer patients supporting a strong demand of breast cancer patients for complementary counseling and treatments additional to the established cancer therapies. It is indispensable to implement counseling and evidence-based complementary treatments into clinical routine of cancer centers and to adapt postgraduate medical education, respectively.
PURPOSE: The present study aims to analyze a cohort of advanced breast cancerpatients in Germany to assess their interest in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and patient's use of most frequent CAM methods. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Based on the PREGNANT real-time breast cancer registry which is a multicenter study in Germany, questionnaires of 580 patients with advanced breast cancer were evaluated. The implemented questionnaire for CAM asked for general interest in CAM and for patient's use of different CAM methods at present and in the past. The interest and application of CAM were analyzed for association with patients' characteristics such as tumor, patient, and therapy characteristics. RESULTS: In total, 436 out of 580 (75%) patients claimed to be interested in CAM. Further, interest in CAM is significantly correlated with younger age and absence of metastasis at the time of diagnosis. Multivariate analysis confirmed the patient's age and distant disease status at the time of diagnosis as related to interest in CAM. A total of 56.4% of patients applied any CAM method in the past. Moreover, with increasing lines of therapies, the more frequent use of CAM was observed. Hereby, praying, vitamin supplements, and other food supplements were most frequently applied. CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrate high overall interest and frequent use of CAM in advanced breast cancerpatients supporting a strong demand of breast cancerpatients for complementary counseling and treatments additional to the established cancer therapies. It is indispensable to implement counseling and evidence-based complementary treatments into clinical routine of cancer centers and to adapt postgraduate medical education, respectively.
Entities:
Keywords:
Alternative medicine; Breast cancer; Complementary medicine; Integrative medicine; Oncology
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Authors: C C Hack; L Häberle; S Y Brucker; W Janni; B Volz; C R Loehberg; A D Hartkopf; C-B Walter; G Baake; A Fridman; W Malter; R Wuerstlein; N Harbeck; O Hoffmann; S Kuemmel; B Martin; C Thomssen; H Graf; C Wolf; M P Lux; C M Bayer; C Rauh; K Almstedt; P Gass; F Heindl; T Brodkorb; L Willer; C Lindner; H-C Kolberg; P Krabisch; M Weigel; D Steinfeld-Birg; A Kohls; C Brucker; V Schulz; G Fischer; V Pelzer; B Rack; M W Beckmann; T Fehm; A Rody; N Maass; A Hein; P A Fasching; N Nabieva Journal: Breast Date: 2020-01-08 Impact factor: 4.380