ArticlePloS one2023
Symptom clusters associated with complementary and alternative medicine use by cancer patients: A cross-sectional study.
Article in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Harms of massage in persons with cancer or receiving treatment for cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2026Pooled it
- Use of dietary supplements and over-the-counter products among adults with a self-reported history of cancer in Poland.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Article
- Real-world impact of acupuncture on analgesics and healthcare resource utilization in breast cancer survivors with pain.BMC medicine · 2024Article
- Symptom clusters associated with complementary and alternative medicine use by cancer patients: A cross-sectional study.PloS one · 2023Article
- Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and the use of complementary and alternative medicine: The role of health literacy in Türkiye.Chronic respiratory diseaseArticle
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundComplementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a commonly used approach among cancer patients, with a reported prevalence of 14.8 to 73.1% depending on multiple factors. Even though a typical patient-reported reason for using CAM is symptom control, no conclusive evidence could be established for specific symptoms being a predictor for CAM use. Symptom clusters are a novel approach for assessing a multidimensional symptom burden, reflecting the impact of diseases on the patient's quality of life and considering the tendency of symptoms to occur in groups. MATERIAL AND
methodsA single-center cross-sectional study on cancer patients during oncological or palliative care was conducted to identify socio-demographical and clinical characteristics, including symptom clusters of CAM users and non-users. Symptom clusters were defined using latent profile analysis, and multivariable analyses were performed to assess significant factors influencing CAM use.
resultsOf 171 cancer patients in this study, 63.7% used CAM alongside oncological treatment or palliative care. The most common CAM therapies were biological and physical therapies, including homeopathy (30.3%), supplements (27.4%), herbs (26.6%), massage (24.8%), and acupuncture (22.0%). Four distinct symptom clusters were identified, of which the cluster drowsiness-depression-anxiety was associated with a 3.83-fold increased chance of using CAM compared to low-symptomatic cancer patients. Multivariate analysis did not show any additional significant predictors of socio-demographical factors.
conclusionUsing the concept of symptom clusters revealed a significant predictor for CAM use, suggesting to be a more conclusive method for assessing symptom burden in cancer patients. In addition, understanding why and how cancer patients turn to CAM can enhance the quality of multidisciplinary communication about its use.
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