Background: There are no published data on the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in pediatric oncology in Germany.
Patients/method: All parents of children, who where diagnosed a disease registered in the German Childhood Registry in 2001 were sent a questionnaire to evaluate possible CAM-use.
Results: 1 602 questionnaires were sent to the families, from whom 1 063 sent the questionnaire back to us. They reported a 35 % CAM-use-rate. The probability to use CAM was positively influenced by preexisting experience with CAM, higher social level and poor prognosis. 71 % of the users discussed the CAM-use with a physician. The reason for CAM-use seldom was missing trust in conventional medicine. 89 % of the CAM-users would recommend CAM-use to other parents in a comparable situation.
Conclusions: The reported CAM-use rate of 35 % in pediatric oncology in Germany is as reported in the international literature for other European countries. Essential parts of CAM-advise and -prescription are done by non-professionals, so that there is a need to get competence in CAM in pediatric oncology in Germany.