Alternative therapy use in neurologic diseases - Use in brain tumor patients

Background: The extent of alternative therapy use in brain tumor patients i s unknown, but it may be frequent and seems important to those who use it. Objective: To characterize alternative therapy use in brain tumor patients. Methods: Prospective questionnaire-based survey of 167 brain tumor patient s who attended a cancer center in Southern Alberta. Physicians completed fo rms describing clinical information such as disease status. Results: The re sponse rate was 91% (167/184). Twenty-four percent of patients used alterna tive therapies and often more than one therapy at the same time. Motivation to use these therapies was influenced by the desire for patient-focused tr eatment and a perceived need to take charge. Alternative therapy users were younger (p = 0.04) and more likely to be on sick or disability leave (p = 0.02), to come in for repeat visits (p = 0.05), and to have received conven tional treatments (p = 0.01). Users tended to have lower quality of life wi th respect to physical well-being, functional well-being, and a specific br ain tumor subscale. Clinical variables, such as disease status, tumor type, and Karnofsky Performance Score, were not related to alternative therapy u se. Major changes in number and types of alternative therapy use occurred d uring the study period. No major side effects or tumor responses were seen with alternative therapies. Conclusions: Alternative therapy use in brain t umor patients is common and may reflect unmet patient needs with respect to their cancer care within the current model of health care delivery.