Adjustment to illness of cancer patients treated by complementary therapy along with conventional therapy

This pilot study compares the adjustment to illness, i.e. psychosocial and psychological distress, of 29 cancer patients being treated by complementar y therapy along with conventional therapy, with a control group of 29 patie nts being treated by conventional therapy only, The findings indicate stati stical differences in the brief symptom inventory scale (BSI), namely, the psychological distress of patients who received conventional therapy only w as more severe than those being treated by complementary therapy with conve ntional therapy. No statistical differences, however, were found between th e two groups in terms of psychosocial adjustment to the illness (PAIS). The findings lead to a recommendation that complementary therapy should be off ered by public medical facilities as part of the standard treatment for can cer patients in order to ease psychological distress. (C) 2001 Elsevier Sci ence Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.