Investigation of Clinical Features and the Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicines in Cancer Patients, A Single-Center Experience.

INTRODUCTION: Despite recent advancements in modern medicine and in cancer treatment, the interest towards complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) still remains. The aim of our study was to detect rates of CAM use, its kinds and the factor(s) affecting CAM preference in patients receiving chemotherapy
METHODS: A questionnaire consisting of 26 questions on demographics, clinical features, and CAM use was conducted on volunteering patients receiving chemotherapy in the outpatient chemotherapy unit of Dýþkapý Yýldýrým Beyazýt Training and Research Hospital from July 1 to August 1, 2017. Consent was received from the patients prior to the application of the questionnaire.
RESULTS: Ninety-seven volunteering patients replied the questionnaire. Median age was 60 years (26-84). Sixty-six percent of the patients were females. Most patients were primary/junior high school graduates (61.5%) and belonged to the low-income group (71.1%). Most commonly observed cancer type was breast cancer (39.2%). Stage 4 patients made up of 51.5% of the patients. Majority of the patients received palliative treatment (52.6%). CAM use was found 21.6%. Most commonly preferred CAM kinds were stinger (9.2%), turmeric (4.1%) and common ginger (2.1%). The physicians were not aware of the products used in 57.2% of the patients. 80.9% of the patients were using these products for the belief that they would be beneficial in the recovery period of the disease. 28.5% of the patients using CAM thought that these products served a clinical benefit. A statistically significant relation was determined between low income and use of complementary medicine (p: 0,01).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Nowadays, complementary medicine is frequently used by cancer patients. It is of vital importance that healthcare workers pay heed to CAM use and be in contact with the patients so as to prevent toxicities

Kanser Hastalarýnda Tamamlayýcý ve Alternatif Tedavi Kullanýmý Ýle Klinik Özelliklerin Ýncelenmesi, Tek Merkez Deneyimi.

GÝRÝÞ ve AMAÇ: Günümüzde kanser tedavisinde modern týptaki geliþmelere raðmen tamamlayýcý ve alterntif tedavi (TAT) yöntemlerine olan ilgi devam etmektedir. Çalýþmamýzýn amacý kemoterapi tedavisi alan hastalarda TAT kullaným oranlarýný, çeþitlerini ve buna etki eden faktörlerin tespit edilmesidir
YÖNTEM ve GEREÇLER: 1 Temmuz-1 Aðustos 2017 tarihleri arasýnda Dýþkapý Yýldýrým Beyazýt Eðitim ve Araþtýrma Hastanesi Týbbi Onkoloji Kliniði ayaktan kemoterapi ünitesinde tedavi alan ve ankete katýlmak isteyen gönüllü hastalara demografik, klinik özelliklerini, TAT kullanýmýný sorgulayan 26 sorudan oluþan anket uygulandý. Anket öncesi hastalardan onam formu alýndý.
BULGULAR: Çalýþmaya katýlmak isteyen 97 hastaya anket uygulandý. Medyan yaþ 60 olarak bulundu (26-84). Hastalarýn 66%’sý kadýn idi. Hastalarýn çoðunluðu ilk/orta okul mezunu (61.5%) ve düþük gelir düzeyinde idi (71.1%). En çok izlenen kanser türü meme kanseriydi (39.2%). Hastalarýn 51.5%’i evre 4 hastalýða sahipti. Hastalarýn büyük çoðunluðu palyatif amaçla tedavi almaktaydý (52.6%). TAT kullananma oraný 21.6% bulundu. Kullanýlan TAT çeþitleri incelendiðinde en sýk ýsýrgan otu ( 9.2%), zerdeçal (4.1%) ve zencefil ( 2.1%) kullanýmý tespit edildi. Hastalarýn 57.2%’ sinin kullandýðý ürünlerden takip eden doktorunun bilgisi yoktu. Hastalarýn 80.9% ‘u bu ürünleri hastalýðýn iyileþme sürecinde fayda göstereceðine inandýðý için kullanýyordu. TAT kullanan hastalarýn 28.5’%’i klinik fayda gördüðünü düþünmekte idi. Düþük gelir düzeyi ile tamamlayýcý tedavi kullanýmý arasýnda istatistiksel olarak anlamlý þekilde iliþki saptandý (p: 0,01).
TARTIÞMA ve SONUÇ: Günümüzde tamamlayýcý tedaviler kanser hastalarý tarafýndan sýklýkla kullanýlan yöntemlerdir. Saðlýk çalýþanlarýnýn TAT kullanýmý açýsýndan dikkatli olmasý ve hastalarla bu açýdan iletiþim içinde olmasý olasý toksisiteleri önlemek açýsýndan oldukça önemlidir.