• Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Jan 2013

    Patient-physician communication about complementary and alternative medicine in a radiation oncology setting.

    • Jin Ge, Jessica Fishman, Neha Vapiwala, Susan Q Li, Krupali Desai, Sharon X Xie, and Jun J Mao.
    • Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
    • Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. 2013 Jan 1; 85 (1): e1-6.

    PurposeDespite the extensive use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among cancer patients, patient-physician communication regarding CAM therapies remains limited. This study quantified the extent of patient-physician communication about CAM and identified factors associated with its discussion in radiation therapy (RT) settings.Methods And MaterialsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey of 305 RT patients at an urban academic cancer center. Patients with different cancer types were recruited in their last week of RT. Participants self-reported their demographic characteristics, health status, CAM use, patient-physician communication regarding CAM, and rationale for/against discussing CAM therapies with physicians. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify relationships between demographic/clinical variables and patients' discussion of CAM with radiation oncologists.ResultsAmong the 305 participants, 133 (43.6%) reported using CAM, and only 37 (12.1%) reported discussing CAM therapies with their radiation oncologists. In multivariate analyses, female patients (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.21-0.98) and patients with full-time employment (AOR 0.32, 95% CI 0.12-0.81) were less likely to discuss CAM with their radiation oncologists. CAM users (AOR 4.28, 95% CI 1.93-9.53) were more likely to discuss CAM with their radiation oncologists than were non-CAM users.ConclusionsDespite the common use of CAM among oncology patients, discussions regarding these treatments occur rarely in the RT setting, particularly among female and full-time employed patients. Clinicians and patients should incorporate discussions of CAM to guide its appropriate use and to maximize possible benefit while minimizing potential harm.Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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