Alteration of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Usage in Patients with Cancer in Turkey

Use of complementary and alternative medicine CAM is commonly encountered among cancer patients. The method most commonly adopted is the use of alternative medicine products. In this study, use of CAM by Turkish cancer patients, its frequency and CAM usage alteration in over time according to results of previous studies were evaluated. Patients were enrolled from a single centre (Kayseri Training and Research Hospital) and the data of total 559 patients were recorded. The rate of CAM usage was 62.1% in general population. Of the patients adopted a method of CAM, 11.8% was using alternative medicine products, 60.1% was using complementary medicine and 28% was receiving support from both. Patients with breast cancer were the most frequent subgroup adopting a method of CAM. Most frequently used alternative medicine products were urtica dioica, nigella sativa and salvia officinalis. Music, exercise and prayer were the most common methods of complementary medicine. Turkish cancer patients have switched from alternative medicine products which could show in vivo interaction with the cancer therapy to the methods of complementary medicine which do not interact with the cancer therapy in vivo.