Oct. 16, 2002 -- Cancer patients are avid users of herbal remed
Oct. 16, 2002 -- Cancer patients are avid users of herbal remedies and dietary supplements. They're also much more willing than others to talk to their doctor about it. And researchers say that's good news for their health.
Two new surveys show cancer patients are about 30% more likely than others to tell their healthcare provider about herbal or dietary supplement use.
"Cancer patients are very forthcoming with their doctors about everything they're taking," says researcher Jessie A. Leak, MD, of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, in a news release. "We don't know why, but perhaps they feel the need to disclose everything about themselves to better their chances of getting well."
Leak presented the results of the surveys today at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists in Orlando, Fla.
Researchers say doctors are concerned about their patients' use of herbs and dietary supplements because some of the preparations have been linked to potentially hazardous drug interactions, or shown to reduce the effectiveness of cancer surgery and chemotherapy drugs.
Products linked to negative side effects include ephedra, licorice, St. John's wort, ginkgo biloba, valerian, feverfew, ginger, and echinacea. The effects of these supplements can linger long after the body has processed them.
In the first survey, researchers asked 300 cancer patients scheduled to undergo surgery about their use of alternative treatments. About 18% reported using at least one herbal or other supplement. That rate of use is roughly comparable to that seen in the general population.
But 70% of the patients said they told at least one physician about their herbal use, and that's about one-third higher than the rate at which other types of patients report herbal use to their doctors. Researchers say previous studies have shown about 40% of preoperative patients tell physicians about using herbal products.
In a second survey, researchers looked at 154 cancer patients being treated in the center's pain management clinic. They found that 43% of these patients were using herbals, and like the other group, about two-thirds said they'd informed their doctor.
Leak says the fact that the patients in the pain clinic were more than twice as likely to be using herbals may be due to the fact that they were farther along in their cancer treatment and probably had spent more time educating themselves about alternative options. -->
