Cancer: the experience of patients and the use of alternative medicine topics increasingly debated

Depression, the use of complementary and alternative medicine and communication difficulties with caregivers were discussed during the presentation of studies dedicated to the experiences of cancer patients during the European Conference on Cancer ( ECCO) that s' held in Paris .
Cancer and stress go hand in hand
The experience of cancer is often associated with significant emotional stress. However , the proportion of anxiety or depressive cancer patients was very variable depending on the studies ( 1-50 %). Consequently, the psychological stress of cancer patients is rarely supported.

Gregoris Iconomou , University of Patras (Greece), and colleagues conducted a study to assess the level of anxiety and depression among 80 Greek patients with solid tumors receiving chemotherapy and to determine the factors associated with their quality of life. Participants completed questionnaires before and after chemotherapy.

The results indicate that the overall quality of life of patients is not affected by cancer treatment : only the fatigue experienced by patients increases after chemotherapy. Concerning the rates of anxiety and depression , they remained unchanged between the beginning and the end of treatment : one-third of patients and reported experiencing significant stress before and after treatment.

The researchers confirmed the role of depression in the prognosis of the overall quality of life of cancer patients before and after treatment. "Screening as well as appropriate management of anxiety and depressive patients are essential . A high level of depression negatively influences recovery and survival ," concludes Gregoris Iconomou in a press release.

Complementary and alternative medicine in the spotlight
A second study , conducted by Dr. Harewood , University of Southampton, and his colleagues focused on the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as an adjunct to standard anticancer treatment, 304 patients for 3 months.

Before the diagnosis of cancer , 33 % of participants reported using CAM against 28 % after diagnosis. Among those who used CAM before their cancer , 57 % continued after diagnosis. In contrast , 29 % of those who used the CAM after the announcement of their cancer, experimenting these medicines for the first time .

Women, younger patients and those with a high level of education accounted for the majority of users of CAM . The patients with breast cancer have also been very likely to use CAM after diagnosis .

Moreover, the vast majority of people who have used the MAC found them useful . Scientists have finally revealed that many factors, such as the health care team , the ability to integrate CAM into a treatment of cancer, information on CAM and safety issues , could influence the use CAM by patients.

"The use of complementary and alternative medicine can be very effective in supportive care in oncology by improving the physical and emotional well-being of patients ," said Dr. Alexander Molassiotis the University of Manchester at the conference ECCO .

A third study revealed the difficulties of patients to deal with the issue of caregivers sexual dysfunction caused by their diagnosis or treatment .