Mapping the clinical practice of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine in oncology in Western countries: A multinational cross-sectional survey

Matthias Huemer; Sandro Graca; Sarah Bitsche; Guenter Hofmann; Mike Armour; Martin Pichler

doi:10.1016/j.joim.2023.12.002

Mapping the clinical practice of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine in oncology in Western countries: A multinational cross-sectional survey

J Integr Med. 2024 Jan;22(1):64-71. doi: 10.1016/j.joim.2023.12.002. Epub 2023 Dec 28.

Authors

Matthias Huemer¹, Sandro Graca², Sarah Bitsche³, Guenter Hofmann³, Mike Armour⁴, Martin Pichler⁵

Affiliations

¹ Palliative Care Unit, Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria. Electronic address: matthias.huemer@medunigraz.at.
² Northern College of Acupuncture, York YO1 6LJ, United Kingdom; School of Health and Society, Faculty of Education, Health and Wellbeing, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton WV1 1LY, United Kingdom.
³ Palliative Care Unit, Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria.
⁴ National Institute of Complementary Medicine Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia; Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia; Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, Wellington 6021, New Zealand.
⁵ Palliative Care Unit, Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria; Translational Oncology, University Hospital of Augsburg, 86156 Augsburg, Germany.

PMID: 38199884
DOI: 10.1016/j.joim.2023.12.002

Abstract

Background: Many cancer patients seek adjunctive therapies to biomedical cancer treatments at some point of their disease trajectory. While acupuncture is increasingly recommended by leading oncological associations, limited evidence exists concerning the evidence-informed practice and adherence to current guidelines of traditional complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM) practitioners treating cancer patients.

Methods: An international online-survey assessed the demographical data, clinical practice, and sources of information used by TCIM practitioners in Austria, Germany, United States of America, Australia, and New Zealand.

Results: In total, 404 respondents completed the survey, of which 254 (62.9%) treated cancer patients. Most practitioners were acupuncturists and herbalists (57.1%), had (16.8 ± 9.9) years of clinical experience and see a median of 2 (1, 4) cancer patients per week. Breast cancer (61.8%) is the most common cancer type seen in TCIM clinics. Adjunctive TCIM treatments are frequently concurrent with the patient's cancer specific treatment (39.9%), which is also reflected by the main goal of a TCIM treatment to alleviate side effects (52.4%). However, only 28.0% of the respondents are in contact with the treating oncologist. According to the respondents, pain is most effectively treated using acupuncture, while herbal medicine is best for cancer-related fatigue. TCIM practitioners mostly use certified courses (33.1%) or online databases (28.3%) but often believe that experts are more reliable to inform their practice (37.0%) than research publications (32.7%).

Conclusion: Acupuncturists and herbalists commonly treat cancer patients. Most practitioners use TCIM as an adjunct to biomedicine as supportive care and use it largely in accordance with current oncological guidelines.

Please cite this article as: Huemer M, Graca S, Bitsche S, Hofmann G, Armour M, Pichler M. Mapping the clinical practice of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine in oncology in Western countries: A multinational cross-sectional survey. J Integr Med. 2024; 22(1): 64-71.

Keywords: Acupuncture; Evidence-informed practice; Integrative medicine; International survey; Oncology.

MeSH terms

Acupuncture Therapy*
Breast Neoplasms*
Complementary Therapies*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Integrative Medicine*