| Literature DB >> 34667841 |
Lauren C Balogh1,2, T Wayne Matthews1,3,4, Christiaan Schrag1,2, Karin A Elebro1,2,5,6.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: We investigated the alarming trend of curable head and neck cancer (HNC) patients forgoing conventional treatment to pursue alternative medicine (AM).Entities:
Keywords: alternative medicine; clinical outcomes; disease progression; head and neck cancer; treatment delay
Year: 2021 PMID: 34667841 PMCID: PMC8513431 DOI: 10.1002/lio2.636
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol ISSN: 2378-8038
FIGURE 1Flow chart of study population. The total study population included all adult patients with primary head and neck cancers offered treatment at our institution between January 2012 and December 2017 (n = 1462). A chart review was performed for the 126 patients that delayed their start of treatment for 12 weeks or more. Following exclusion of palliative patients, patients that died prior to start of treatment, and patients referred to other institutions, the remaining patients were considered the study population of interest (n = 68) since they were offered treatment of curative intent and delayed such treatment. The reasons for treatment delay, or no start of treatment, were explored and categorized. Nineteen patients pursued Alternative Medicine (AM), and 49 patients delayed treatment due to other reasons, as listed in the attached box to the left. To facilitate comparisons of the AM patients with the normal timeline (<12 weeks) patients, brief characteristics such as age, gender and the most common tumor primary sites are outlined in the attached boxes to the right. AM, alternative medicine; F, female; M, male; n, number; Tx, treatment
Definition of alternative medicine (AM) categories, related examples and AM categories pursued by the 19 study patients
| AM categories pursued | Definition | Examples | Patient total (n) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMS | Whole medical systems are complete systems that include a defined philosophy and explanation of disease, diagnosis, and therapy |
Homeopathy Naturopathy Traditional Chinese medicine Alternative Medicine Clinics | 13 |
| BBT | Biologically based therapies use naturally occurring substances to affect health |
Cannabis Chelation therapy Diet therapy Natural products and supplements | 16 |
| MBI | Mind‐body techniques are based on the theory that mental and emotional factors can influence physical health. Behavioral, psychologic, social, and spiritual methods are used |
Faith healing
| 1 |
| Manipulative and Body‐Based Methods (MBBM) | Manipulative and body‐based therapies treat various conditions through bodily manipulation |
| 0 |
| Energy therapies (ET) | Energy therapies focus on the energy fields thought to exist in and around the body (biofields). These therapies also encompass the use of external energy sources (electromagnetic fields) to influence health and healing |
| 0 |
| Not specified (NS) | 1 |
Note: The categories employed were developed by the former National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, , with the addition of a Not Specified category. In addition to the presented examples of regimens, each AM category contains multiple regimens/substances, and their use may overlap between categories. The complete list of specific substances and regimens pursued by the study patients is found in Appendix S1.
Abbreviation: AM, alternative medicine.
The presented examples were selected to give an overview of each category. Italic letters indicate a regimen not pursued by any of the patients in the study.
Patients may have pursued treatments from more than one category, as specified as follows: Use of AM from one category; AMS: n = 2 (Patient 12, 18); BBT: n = 5 (Patient 10, 11, 15, 16, 19); NS: n = 1 (Patient 1). Concurrent use of AM from two categories; AMS and BBT: n = 10 (Patient 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 17). Concurrent use of AM from three categories; AMS, BBT, and MBI: n = 1 (Patient 3).
Case summaries of AM pursuit patients
| Patient N° age range | Tumor primary site | Histopathology | TNM stage | Initial recommended treatment | Time interval | Adverse progression during interval | Final Recommended Treatment | Status at end of F/u | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N° | (5 years) | (mo) | Yes/No | TNM Stage | Time F/u (mo) | Status | ||||||
| 1 | 60 | Oropharynx | p16 + SCC | T1N2cM0 | Stage IVa | Chemo + Rt | 5 | No | n/a | Chemo + Rt | 27 | AWD (LR) |
| 2 | 45 | Oropharynx | Cribriform Adenocarcinoma | T4aN1M0 | Stage IVa | Surgery + Rt | 17 | No | T4aN1M0 | Surgery + Rt | 40 | AWD |
| 3 | 65 | Oropharynx | p16 + SCC | T2N2bM0 | Stage IVa | Chemo + Rt | 7 | Yes | T4aN2cM0 | Chemo + Rt | 60 | NED |
| 4 | 70 | Oropharynx | p16 + SCC | T2N2bM0 | Stage IVa | Chemo + Rt | 15 | Yes | T4N3bM0 | Palliative Rt | 16 | DOD |
| 5 | 60 | Oropharynx | p16 + SCC | T2N2bM0 | Stage IVa | Chemo + Rt | 10 | Yes | T4bN2cM1 | Palliative Chemo + Rt | 22 | DOD |
| 6 | 60 | Oropharynx | p16 + SCC | T4aN2cM0 | Stage IVa | Chemo + Rt | 16 | Yes | T4aN2cM1 | Palliative Chemo + Rt | 78 | AWD (LRD) |
| 7 | 65 | Oropharynx | p16 + SCC | T2N2cM0 | Stage Iva | Chemo + Rt | 17 | Yes | T4aN3M1 | Palliative Chemo | 23 | DOD |
| 8 | 70 | Oropharynx | p16 + SCC | T1N2bM0 | Stage IVa | Chemo + Rt | 17 | Yes | TXN2bM1 | Palliative Rt | 21 | DOD |
| 9 | 55 | Oropharynx | SCC | TXN2aM0 | Stage IVa | Chemo + Rt | 20 | Yes | T2N3M0 | Palliative Rt | 33 | DOD |
| 10 | 70 | Unknown | p16 + SCC | TXN2bM0 | Stage IVa | Chemo + Rt | 9 | No | TXN2bM0 | Chemo + Rt | 28 | AWD |
| 11 | 60 | Unknown | p16 − SCC | TXN2cM0 | Stage IVa | Chemo + Rt | 4 | Yes | n/a | Palliative Rt | 6 | DOD |
| 12 | 60 | Larynx | SCC | T2bN2aM0 | Stage IVa | Chemo + Rt | 17 | No | T2bN2aM0 | Chemo + Rt | 33 | DOD |
| 13 | 60 | Larynx | SCC | T4aN0M0 | Stage IVa | Surgery + Rt | 3 | Yes | T4aN2cM0 | Palliative Rt | 10 | DOD |
| 14 | 65 | Larynx | SCC | T4aN0M0 | Stage IVa | Surgery + Rt | 13 | Yes | T4N2cM0 | Palliative Rt | 14 | DOD |
| 15 | 50 | Oral cavity | SCC | T2N0M0 | Stage II | Surgery + Rt | 3 | Yes | T4aN0M0 | Surgery | 24 | NED |
| 16 | 60 | Oral cavity | SCC | T2N0M0 | Stage II | Surgery + Rt | 10 | Yes | n/a | n/a | 10 | DOD |
| 17 | 40 | Nasopharynx | Undifferentiated carcinoma | T1N1M0 | Stage IIb | Chemo + Rt | 5 | Yes | T1N1M0 | Chemo + Rt | 18 | AWD (LR) |
| 18 | 50 | Nasopharynx | Undifferentiated carcinoma | T1N1M0 | Stage IIb | Chemo + Rt | 7 | Yes | TXN2bM1 | Palliative Chemo + Rt | 8 | DOD |
| 19 | 75 | Paranasal sinus | Adenoid cystic carcinoma | T4aN0M0 | Stage IVa | Surgery + Rt | 67 | Yes | n/a | Surgery + Rt | 75 | AWD (L) |
Note: Each patient's clinical course is presented as a simplified clinical timeline. Tumor characteristics at diagnosis are presented for each case, followed by the treatment modality that was initially recommended, and rejected in pursuit of AM. Thereafter, the time interval until return to conventional care is listed (months), together with any adverse disease progression (yes/no), new TNM stage when available, and final treatment recommendation and whether consented or not. Outcomes are presented as vital status at end of follow up, December 31, 2019. Order of appearance, patient 1 through 19: Patients are presented by primary tumor site. Within each such group, patients with no adverse disease progression are presented prior to patients with adverse progression. Patients recommended curative treatments are listed prior to those recommended palliative treatments. Finally, any fully consented treatments are listed prior to any partially consented treatments, or no consented treatment.
Abbreviations: AM, alternative medicine; AWD, alive with disease; chemo, chemotherapy; D, distant; DOD, dead of disease; F/u, follow‐up; L, local; mo, months; n/a, not available; NED, no evidence of disease; R, regional; Rt, radiation therapy; SCC, squamous cell carcinoma; TNM, tumor node metastasis stage.
Diagnosis from prior surgery, such as tonsillectomy for other reasons.
Treatment partially consented. Partially consented treatments were radiotherapy in all patients.
Treatment fully consented. No symbol Recommended treatment not consented.
Prior off‐label use of low dose capecitabine.
Admitted for palliation prior to death.