Integrative medicine during the intensive phase of chemotherapy in pediatric oncology in Germany: a randomized controlled trial with 5-year follow up (original) (raw)
Related papers
Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Pediatric Oncology
Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, 2006
Children with cancer and their families use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to reduce symptoms, cope with life-threatening illness, and improve overall well-being. Despite numerous published surveys on the use of CAM in pediatric oncology, few studies have tested CAM therapies for safety and efficacy. A growing body of literature in adult oncology provides evidence for the role of CAM to help manage symptoms and reduce distress. Translating this research to children requires studies with new models that address family roles and include measurement of outcomes relevant to children's developmental stages and unique responses. One of the limitations in pediatrics is the small samples available to single institutions. Conducting clinical trials through the cooperative group mechanism is one way of obtaining sufficient sample sizes to determine effectiveness and safety of CAM therapies. This article summarizes research to date and describes a beginning approach to measuring outcomes of supportive CAM therapies in children with cancer.
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies
Background The prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use and the modalities used by pediatric oncology patients vary widely across studies. In addition, the changes in the use of CAM over the course of treatment are understudied. Thus, this study aimed to explore (1) CAM use by pediatric oncology patients in relation to specific time intervals and (2) communication about CAM use between parents and oncologists. Methods This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted among parents of children diagnosed with cancer at a Swiss pediatric hematology-oncology center by means of an online questionnaire. Questions were related to their child’s CAM use over different time intervals, sources of information about CAM use, and communication with the oncologists. Results Among 140 respondents, CAM was used by 54.3% of patients before diagnosis and 69.3% of patients after diagnosis. During each defined time interval, between 50 and 58.8% of the patients used at least o...
Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Monographs, 2017
Significant strides have been made in the treatment of childhood cancer. Improvements in survival have led to increased attention toward supportive care indications; including the use of traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM). The use of T&CM among children and adolescents with cancer is well documented in both high-income countries (HICs) and low-middle income countries (LMICs). A higher incidence of the use of T&CM has been reported among children undergoing treatment in LMICs, which has elevated concerns related to drug interactions, adherence to therapy, and treatment-related toxicities. These observations have underscored the need for effective models of integrative care that are culturally sensitive yet sustainable in an LMIC setting. We present considerations inclusive of the clinical care, educational opportunities, governmental policy, and research priorities necessary for the development of models of integrative care for pediatric cancer units in an LMIC setting.
[Complementary and alternative medicine treatment in children with cancer. Preliminary report]
Medycyna wieku rozwojowego
A growing interest in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is observed in treatment of patients with cancer. The use of CAM often leads to delay or resignation from anticancer treatment. Estimation of the extent of application of CAM methods among children and adolescents treated for cancer, as well as analysis of factors contributing to this decision. A survey based on a questionnaire was performed among 100 patients treated for cancer, including 47 girls and 53 boys, aged 5 months to 25 years (median 9.4 years). The questionnaire was filled-in by patients aged over 16, or by parents. It was found that at least 43% children with cancer were treated with at least one CAM method. The most often used methods were: spiritualism, herbal medicine, bioenergotherapy or diet (46.5%, 42%, 37% and 28% of CAM users, respectively). Odds ratio of the use of CAM methods was 23-fold higher (p<0.0001) in families with earlier own experience. The use of CAM was independent of place of res...
Use of unconventional medicine in children with cancer
2000
março e agosto de 2002, foram entrevistados para a obtenção de dados referentes à prevalência e aos tipos de tratamentos não-convencionais usados, efeitos adversos, satisfação com o tratamento, e as razões para o uso da medicina não-convencional. Resultados: Foram entrevistados 22 pais. Cerca de 55% das crianças utilizaram tratamentos não-convencionais, mais freqüentemente a fitoterapia (25%). A indicação de terceiros foi a motivação principal para o uso da medicina não-convencional (33%). Nenhum paciente usou medicina alternativa em substituição ao tratamento médico padrão. Quarenta e dois por cento dos pais dos usuários informaram o uso de terapias não-convencionais aos médicos dos filhos. Cinqüenta por cento dos pais disseram que eles próprios utilizavam medicina não-convencional e 95% desejavam receber mais informações a respeito dessas terapias. Conclusões: A pesquisa confirma que os pacientes oncológicos pediátricos usam medicina não-convencional juntamente com o tratamento padrão e que a equipe médica, em geral, não é informada do emprego da medicina não-convencional pelos pacientes. Palavras-chave: Oncologia, Pediatria, Terapias complementares.