Yale study: Cancer patients who use alternative treatments are more likely to die

NEW HAVEN – The use of unconventional cancer treatments is effective, especially for relieving symptoms, but should not be used in surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by researchers at the Yale Cancer Center and Cancer Outcomes, Public Policy and Effectiveness Research Center of Yale Medical School

. , published online Thursday in JAMA Oncology, found that those who used complementary therapies instead of a conventional recommended treatment were twice as likely to die as those who used only conventional therapies because those who chose alternatives had a tendency to reject one or more

"Previous research on why patients use non-medical complementary treatments has shown that the majority of cancer patients who use complementary drugs believe that their use will result in improved survival, "said lead author of the study, Dr. James Yu of the Yale Cancer Center, in a press release. "We became interested in this after reviewing the literature, and found that there was little evidence to support this belief."

According to Dr. Cary Gross, co-author of the study and a member of the Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation at Yale School of Medicine, the article does not define the complementary treatments used. However, a 1998 JAMA Network article listed the fastest growing alternatives as "herbal medicine, mbadage, megavitamins, self-help groups, folk remedies, energy healing, and homeopathy."

While some people refuse all conventional treatments, A single person in our group had surgery, chemo or radiation, "Gross said Thursday. Of the 1,290 patients with bad, prostate, lung or colorectal cancer included, 258 used complementary drugs. These patients were more likely to die of cancer than the 1,032 patients who underwent only surgery, chemotherapy and / or radiation, the statement said. Patients were among those listed in the National Cancer Database.

The paper indicated that the reason for the higher mortality rate was that those who used complementary therapies opted for some of their conventional treatment. "Everyone in our study had received conventional treatment for cancer, and the question is, beyond this conventional cancer treatment, if you used an alternative therapy, you were more likely to refuse additional recommended cancer treatment" Gross said.

He said that it was important to note "that we have not found the use of the complementary therapy itself increased the risk of death. The only risk of death is if you have not taken all the recommended therapies.If you do not take the recommended treatments and instead take alternative therapy, that's what is dangerous. "

Gross said that the complementary treatments may be helpful, especially for the relief of symptoms such as nausea, anxiety and pain. "Make sure you get very good information about what this medicine is for and should you take it," he said. "We need more research to find out what kind of complementary drugs work in which situations and which patients."

Gross stated that not all patients choose to follow their doctor's recommendations for a variety of reasons. An older person may decide to give up chemotherapy after receiving antiretroviral therapy to avoid the nausea, weakness and reduced quality of life that accompany chemo.

"I do not want to say you have to do everything," said Gross. "If you choose to give up chemotherapy, make sure you have a really informed conversation with your doctor" about the risks and benefits of this choice.

However, "I would hate that someone gives up radiation because someone tells him" The fact that the use of complementary medicine is badociated with a greater refusal of treatments against the proven cancer as well as an increased risk of death should make providers and patients reflect, "said lead author Dr. Skyler Johnson, resident chief in radiation oncology at the Yale School of Medicine, in

"Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion about the role of complementary therapies. Although they can be used to support patients with symptoms of cancer treatment, it seems that they are marketed or considered effective cancer treatments, "he said.