Use of alternative medicine by children with cancer in Washington State

Background. Use of alternative medicine is widespread among adult cancer pa tients, but considerably less is known about the use of these therapies by pediatric cancer patients. Our objective was to investigate the distributio n and patterns of alternative medicine use by children diagnosed with cance r in Washington State. Methods. Pediatric cancer patients (less than or equal to 18 years) with fi rst primary neoplasms were identified from the Cancer Surveillance System o f western Washington. Telephone interviews were conducted with parents of 7 5 patients to obtain data on the prevalence and types of alternative medici ne used, satisfaction with conventional and alternative medicine, motivatio ns for use of alternative medicine, adverse effects, and costs. Results. Seventy-three percent of patients used at least one alternative tr eatment or therapy. Twenty-one percent of patients consulted an alternative provider (e.g., acupuncturist, naturopathic doctor), and insurance compani es covered 75% of these costs. Twenty-eight percent used high-dose dietary supplements such as vitamins C or E, and 35% used herbal preparations. Alth ough use of alternative medicine was associated with parental dissatisfacti on with their child's physician (P = 0.02), no patient used alternative med icine as a substitute for standard medical care. Most patients used alterna tive medicine to cope with disease symptoms or the side effects of the medi cal treatments. Conclusions. Pediatric oncology patients use alternative treatments as adju ncts to conventional care. Both researchers and health care providers shoul d remain informed about the benefits and adverse effects of alternative the rapies in order to discuss treatment options with patients and their famili es and to monitor treatment efficacy. (C) 2001 American Health Foundation a nd Academic Press.