About one third of prostate cancer patients
in the United States use some type of complementary or
alternative medicine, a large national study shows.
Its important for patients to tell their physician if
they are using any type of alternative medicine, because
these therapies could interact with other medicines, Eric
Elkin of the University of California-San Francisco, one
of the study's authors stated. However, up to one half
of prostate cancer patients who take alternative therapies
may not tell their doctors about it, he and his colleagues
note in their report.
"It's important that communication between the doctor
and the patient to be there so that the doctor knows everything
else the patient is taking," Elkin added.
Past studies have found that prostate cancer patients
often begin taking alternative or complementary medicines
after receiving their diagnosis. To investigate more specifically,
Elkin and his colleagues looked at use of more than 50
different types of complementary or alternative medicines
in a group of 2,582 men in a registry of prostate cancer
patients.
One third reported using some type of alternative medicine,
with 26% using mineral or vitamin supplements, 16% taking
herbs, 13% taking antioxidants and 12% taking some type
of alternative treatment for "prostate health," such as
saw palmetto or lycopene.
Men using alternative medicine tended to have higher
incomes, more education, and more advanced cancer at diagnosis.
Alternative medicine users also were more likely to have
other illnesses. The men who used alternative treatments
targeted to prostate health were younger and less likely
to be obese.
"It might be important to assess what influences patients
to start using (complementary or alternative medicines)
and where they are obtaining their information," the researchers
note. More study is needed to see how the use of alternative
medicines affects quality of life and health in men with
prostate cancer.
SOURCE: Urology, December 2005.
