Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention

Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention (아시아태평양암예방학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

An Empirical Study on Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine Usage among Malaysian Cancer Patients

  • Published : 2015.10.06
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

Usage of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine (TCAM) has gained popularity over the past few years. However, very little is known about TCAM use among Malaysian cancer patients. This study aimed to identify the determinants of TCAM usage among cancer patients with determination of relationships between demographic factors, patient satisfaction with conventional treatment, knowledge on TCAM and healthcare professional influence. Patient's perceptions towards TCAM were also determined. A simple random convenient sampling method was used to recruit 354 patients from Hospital Kuala Lumpur between February to April 2013. All were directly interviewed with a structured questionnaire. In this study, 172 respondents were TCAM users. There was no significant differences between demographic background of respondents in the usage of TCAM. Minimal correlation was found between patient satisfaction with the conventional treatment and usage of TCAM (r=0.091). A poor correlation was found between healthcare professional's influence and TCAM usage (r=-0.213) but the results suggested that increase in influence would decrease TCAM usage. Patient TCAM knowledge correlated negatively with the TCAM usage (r=-0.555) indicated that cancer patients are less likely to use TCAM when they have more TCAM knowledge. Healthcare professionals should be fully equipped with the necessary TCAM knowledge while maintaining patient satisfaction with the conventional treatment. They should also intervene on patient TCAM usage where a potential drug interaction or a harmful adverse event can occur.

Keywords

References

  1. Arthur K, Belliard JC, Hardin SB, et al (2012). Practices, attitudes, and beliefs associated with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among cancer patients. Integr Cancer Ther, 11, 232-2. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534735411433832
  2. Alex F. Broom and Assa Doron (2013). Traditional medicines, collective negotiation, and representations of risk in indian cancer care. Qualitative Health Res, 23, 54-5. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732312462242
  3. Astin JA (1998). Why patients use alternative medicine: results of a national study. J Am Med Associat, 279, 1548-3. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.279.19.1548
  4. Broom A, Doron A (2012). The rise of cancer in urban india: cultural understandings, structural inequalities, and the emergence of the clinic. health: an interdisciplinary journal for the social study of health, Illness Med, 16, 250-6.
  5. Cancer Fact, Figures (2012). Epidermiology surveilance. Available: http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/content/@ epidemiologysurveilance/documents/document/ acspc-031941.pdf [accessed 2012 September 27].
  6. Chang KH, Rachel B, Choong MA, Sweeney KJ, Kerin MJ (2011). Complementary and alternative medicine use in oncology: A questionnaire survey of patients and health care professionals. BMC Cancer, 11-6
  7. Cohen SM, Arnold LL (2011). Chemical Carcinogenesis. Toxicological Sci, 120, 76-2 https://doi.org/10.1093/toxsci/kfq365
  8. Ernst E , White AR (2011). Prospective studies of the safety of acupuncture: a systematic review. Am J Med, 110, 481-5.
  9. Farooqui M, Hassali MA, Aishah AS (2012). Complementary and alternative (CAM) use by Malaysian oncology patients. Complement Ther Clin Pract, 18, 144-0.
  10. Hyodo I, Amano N, Eguchi K, et al (2005). Nationwide survey on complementary and alternative medicine in cancer patients in Japan. J Clin Oncol, 23, 2645-4.
  11. Ladas EJ, Rivas S, Ndao D, et al (2014). Use of traditional and complementary/alternative medicine (TCAM) in children with cancer in guatemala. Pediatr Blood Cancer, 61, 687-92 https://doi.org/10.1002/pbc.24791
  12. Latest Cancer Statistics. (2012). Facts sheets. Available: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs297/en/index. html[accessed 2013 October 27].
  13. Maha N, Shaw A, (2007). Academic doctors' views of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and its role within the NHS: an exploratory qualitative study. BMC Complement Alternative Med, 7-17
  14. Maihebureti A, Sharifa E, Syed, A (2011). Role of traditional and complementary medicine in universal coverage. Malaysian J Public Health Med, 11, 1-5
  15. Molassiotis A, Ortega PF, Pud D, et al (2005). Use of complementary and alternative medicine in cancer patients: a European survey. Ann Oncol, 16, 655-3. https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdi110
  16. Paltiel O, Avitzour M, Peretz, T, et al (2001). Determinants of the use of complementary therapies by patients with cancer. J Clin Oncol, 19, 2439-8
  17. Putipun P, Sutheechet N, Ratanamongkol P (2012). A survey of complementary and alternative medicine use in cancer patients treated with radiotherapy in Thailand. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2012, 670408.
  18. Shih V, Chiang J, Chan A (2009). Complementary and alternative (CAM) usage in Singaporean adult cancer patients. Ann Oncol, 20,752-7. https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdn659
  19. Shin J, Park EC, Bae HC, et al (2015). Need to pay more attention to attendance at follow-up consultation after cancer screening in smokers and drinkers, Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 16, 109-7. https://doi.org/10.7314/APJCP.2015.16.1.109
  20. Shin, JY, Kim SY, Park B, et al (2012). Predictors of complementary and alternative medicine use in cancer care: results of a nationwide multicenter survey in Korea. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2012, 1-6
  21. Siti ZM, Tahir A, Farah AI, et al (2009). Use of traditional and complementary medicine in Malaysia: a baseline study. Complement Ther Med, 17, 292-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2009.04.002
  22. Soraya HS, Suhainan S, Nor AE, Mohd RS, Sharifah Nash (2011). The use of complementary and alternative medicine among malay breast cancer survivors. Altern Ther Health Med, 17, 50-6.
  23. Stephen JC, Andrew JM (2011). Interaction between complementary and alternative medicine with conventional anti-cancer medicine. Cancer Forum, 35, 1-5
  24. Umit Agoni et al (2015). Predictors of knowledge level and awareness towards breast cancer among turkish females, Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 16, 275-2. https://doi.org/10.7314/APJCP.2015.16.1.275
  25. Wong LC, Chan E, Tay S, Lee KM, Back M (2010). Complementary and alternative medicine practices among Asian radiotherapy patients. Asia Pac J Clin Oncol, 6, 357-3. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-7563.2010.01296.x
  26. Wen Y, Pan XF, Huang WZ et al (2015). Quality of life for patients with esophageal/gastric cardia precursor lesions or cancer: a one-year prospective study. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 16, 45-1. https://doi.org/10.7314/APJCP.2015.16.1.45
  27. Yu FQ, Murugiah MK, Khan AH, Mehmood T (2015). Metasynthesis exploring barriers to health seeking behaviour among Malaysian breast cancer patients, Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 16, 145-52. https://doi.org/10.7314/APJCP.2015.16.1.145
  28. Zainal AO, Nor Saleha IT (2007). Malaysian Cancer Statistics - Data and Figures. Malaysia: Ministry of Health.