scholarly journals Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Patients With Breast Cancer: Exploratory Study of Social Network Forum Data (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Béatrice Lognos ◽  
François Carbonnel ◽  
Isabelle Boulze Launay ◽  
Sandra Bringay ◽  
Estelle Guerdoux-Ninot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Nutritional Interventions ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

BACKGROUND Patients and health care professionals are becoming increasingly preoccupied in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) that can also be called nonpharmacological interventions (NPIs). In just a few years, this supportive care has gone from solutions aimed at improving the quality of life to solutions intended to reduce symptoms, supplement oncological treatments, and prevent recurrences. Digital social networks are a major vector for disseminating these practices that are not always disclosed to doctors by patients. An exploration of the content of exchanges on social networks by patients suffering from breast cancer can help to better identify the extent and diversity of these practices. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore the interest of patients with breast cancer in CAM from posts published in health forums and French-language social media groups. METHODS The retrospective study was based on a French database of 2 forums and 4 Facebook groups between June 3, 2006, and November 17, 2015. The extracted, anonymized, and compiled data (264,249 posts) were analyzed according to the occurrences associated with the NPI categories and NPI subcategories, their synonyms, and their related terms. RESULTS The results showed that patients with breast cancer use mainly physical (37.6%) and nutritional (31.3%) interventions. Herbal medicine is a subcategory that was cited frequently. However, the patients did not mention digital interventions. CONCLUSIONS This exploratory study of the main French forums and discussion groups indicates a significant interest in CAM during and after treatments for breast cancer, with primarily physical and nutritional interventions complementing approved treatments. This study highlights the importance of accurate information (vs fake medicine), prescription and monitoring of these interventions, and the mediating role that health professionals must play in this regard.

scholarly journals Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Patients With Breast Cancer: Exploratory Study of Social Network Forum Data

JMIR Cancer ◽  
10.2196/12536 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. e12536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Béatrice Lognos ◽  
François Carbonnel ◽  
Isabelle Boulze Launay ◽  
Sandra Bringay ◽  
Estelle Guerdoux-Ninot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Nutritional Interventions ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Background Patients and health care professionals are becoming increasingly preoccupied in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) that can also be called nonpharmacological interventions (NPIs). In just a few years, this supportive care has gone from solutions aimed at improving the quality of life to solutions intended to reduce symptoms, supplement oncological treatments, and prevent recurrences. Digital social networks are a major vector for disseminating these practices that are not always disclosed to doctors by patients. An exploration of the content of exchanges on social networks by patients suffering from breast cancer can help to better identify the extent and diversity of these practices. Objective This study aimed to explore the interest of patients with breast cancer in CAM from posts published in health forums and French-language social media groups. Methods The retrospective study was based on a French database of 2 forums and 4 Facebook groups between June 3, 2006, and November 17, 2015. The extracted, anonymized, and compiled data (264,249 posts) were analyzed according to the occurrences associated with the NPI categories and NPI subcategories, their synonyms, and their related terms. Results The results showed that patients with breast cancer use mainly physical (37.6%) and nutritional (31.3%) interventions. Herbal medicine is a subcategory that was cited frequently. However, the patients did not mention digital interventions. Conclusions This exploratory study of the main French forums and discussion groups indicates a significant interest in CAM during and after treatments for breast cancer, with primarily physical and nutritional interventions complementing approved treatments. This study highlights the importance of accurate information (vs fake medicine), prescription and monitoring of these interventions, and the mediating role that health professionals must play in this regard.

scholarly journals Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Breast Cancer Patients at a Medical Center in Taiwan: A Cross-Sectional Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 153473542098391
Author(s):  
Chieh-Ying Chin ◽  
Yung-Hsiang Chen ◽  
Shin-Chung Wu ◽  
Chien-Ting Liu ◽  
Yun-Fang Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Cancer Center ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Cam Use ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Background Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is becoming more common in medical practice, but little is known about the concurrent use of CAM and conventional treatment. Therefore, the aim was to investigate the types of CAM used and their prevalence in a regional patient cohort with breast cancer (BC). Methods BC patients were interviewed with a structured questionnaire survey on the use of CAM in southern Taiwan at an Integrative Breast Cancer Center (IBCC). The National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) classification was used to group responses. Over a period of 8 months, all patients receiving treatment for cancer at the IBCC were approached. Results A total of 106 BC patients completed the survey (response rate: 79.7%). The prevalence of CAM use was 82.4%. Patients who were employed, were receiving radiotherapy and hormone therapy, and had cancer for a longer duration were more likely to use CAM ( P < .05). Multivariate analysis identified employment as an independent predictor of CAM use (OR = 6.92; 95% CI = 1.33-36.15). Dietary supplementation (n = 69, 82.1%) was the type of CAM most frequently used, followed by exercise (n = 48, 57.1%) and traditional Chinese medicine (n = 29, 34.5%). The main reason for using CAM was to ameliorate the side effects of conventional therapies. Almost half (46.4%) of these CAM users did not disclose that they were using it in medical consultations with their physicians. Most chose to use CAM due to recommendations from family and friends. Conclusion A large portion of BC patients at the IBCC undergoing anti-cancer treatment courses used CAM, but less than half discussed it with their physicians. Given the high prevalence of CAM, it would be justifiable to direct further resources toward this service so that cancer patients can benefit from a holistic approach to their treatment.

Exploring frontiers: Use of complementary and alternative medicine among patients with early-stage breast cancer

The Breast ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahasti Saghatchian ◽  
Céline Bihan ◽  
Catherine Chenailler ◽  
Chafika Mazouni ◽  
Sarah Dauchy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Early Stage Breast Cancer ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

A Literature Review of Health Care Professional Attitudes Toward Complementary and Alternative Medicine

2008 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 139-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maida J. Sewitch ◽  
Monica Cepoiu ◽  
Nicole Rigillo ◽  
Donald Sproule
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Personal Use ◽  
School Faculty ◽  
Level Of Knowledge ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Objective. To summarize health care professionals' attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Methods. In October 2006, we searched Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED; 1985—2006), Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE; 1980—2006), and MED-LINE (1960—2006) for Canadian or US studies of health care professionals' attitudes toward CAM, published in English or French. Results. A total of 21 surveys of physicians, nurses, public health professionals, dietitians, social workers, medical/nursing school faculty, and pharmacists were included that focused on beliefs about CAM efficacy, personal use, clinical practice use and referrals, communication with patients about CAM, level of knowledge, and the need for information regarding various CAM therapies. Physicians were more negative compared to other health care professionals. Positive attitudes toward CAM did not correlate with CAM referral or prescription patterns. Health care professionals of all disciplines wanted more information about CAM. Conclusions. Heterogeneity in the CAM definition and questionnaire items precluded summarizing health care professionals' attitudes toward CAM. Providing CAM education to health care professionals may help to integrate CAM into mainstream medical care.

Characterization of Complementary and Alternative Medicine-Related Consultations in an Academic Drug Information Service

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 539-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip J. Gregory ◽  
Mohamed A. Jalloh ◽  
Andrew M. Abe ◽  
James Hu ◽  
Darren J. Hein
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Drug Information ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Information Service ◽  
Therapeutic Use ◽  
Drug Information Service ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Purpose: To characterize requests received through an academic drug information consultation service related to complementary and alternative medicines. Methods: A retrospective review and descriptive analysis of drug information consultations was conducted. Results: A total of 195 consultations related to complementary and alternative medicine were evaluated. All consultation requests involved questions about dietary supplements. The most common request types were related to safety and tolerability (39%), effectiveness (38%), and therapeutic use (34%). Sixty-eight percent of the requests were from pharmacists. The most frequent consultation requests from pharmacists were questions related to drug interactions (37%), therapeutic use (37%), or stability/compatibility/storage (34%). Nearly 60% of complementary and alternative medicine-related consultation requests were able to be completely addressed using available resources. Among review sources, Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, Clinical Pharmacology, Micromedex, and Pharmacist’s Letter were the most common resources used to address consultations. Conclusion: Utilization of a drug information service may be a viable option for health care professionals to help answer a complementary and alternative medicine-related question. Additionally, pharmacists and other health care professionals may consider acquiring resources identified to consistently answering these questions.

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