Prevalence of the use of traditional complementary and alternative medicine amongst cancer patients in a tertiary care center in Kerala, India

Kolathu Sarada; Rammanohar Puthiyedath; Arun Philip; Greeshma C Ravindran; Keechilat Pavithran

doi:10.1016/j.jaim.2021.04.011

Prevalence of the use of traditional complementary and alternative medicine amongst cancer patients in a tertiary care center in Kerala, India

J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2021 Apr-Jun;12(2):359-364. doi: 10.1016/j.jaim.2021.04.011. Epub 2021 May 18.

Authors

Kolathu Sarada¹, Rammanohar Puthiyedath², Arun Philip¹, Greeshma C Ravindran³, Keechilat Pavithran⁴

Affiliations

¹ Medical Oncology and Hematology, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Center, Kochi, 682041, India.
² Amrita School of Ayurveda, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kollam, 690525, India.
³ Department of Biostatistics, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Center, Kochi, 682041, India.
⁴ Medical Oncology and Hematology, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Center, Kochi, 682041, India. Electronic address: drkpavithran@hotmail.com.

Abstract

Background: Unmet needs of cancer patients prompt them to seek care from Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (TCAM) practitioners.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of TCAM use in a multi-specialty tertiary cancer center in South India.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional survey of cancer patients who used TCAM during the study period. The patients were recruited based on covenience sampling method.

Result: 320 cancer patients were approached, out of which 279 (87.2%) patients responded, and the prevalence of TCAM use was 34.4%. Home remedies (36%) figure prominently, with family advice (40%) being the primary influence for the TCAM use. The key expectation was an improvement in the quality of life (49%). TCAM use was pronounced during the chemotherapy phase (50%). Most patients (76%) using TCAM reported satisfaction with the treatment. Majority of the patients did not disclose concomitant use of TCAM to their treating physicians (71%).

Conclusion: TCAM use by cancer patients is prevalent in Kerala. The study results point towards a need for large scale surveys, implementation of pharmacovigilance, patient education and research to identify and integrate TCAM interventions in cancer care that are safe and have beneficial effects.

Keywords: Cancer; Drug interactions; Integrative oncology; Pharmacovigilance; Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine.