Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T08:45:06.249Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Traditional and complementary and alternative medicines make for unwilling bedfellows in the management of cancer: a case report with a tragic outcome

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 August 2011

A Trinidade ,
M Shakeel ,
D Hurman  and
A Hussain
A Trinidade
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, UK
M Shakeel*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, UK
D Hurman
Affiliation:
Department of Oncology, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, UK
A Hussain
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Dr M Shakeel, SpR Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Ward 45, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZN, Scotland, UK Fax: +44 (0)1224 554569 E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background:

Complementary and alternative medicine is very much in the public arena as a treatment option. The pharmacodynamics of most complementary and alternative medicines are not well understood, and some can lead to significant adverse drug interactions. This report aims to present the case of a cancer patient who abandoned traditional medicine in favour of complementary and alternative medicine.

Method:

Case report.

Results:

The patient refused potentially curative adjuvant radiotherapy for his oral cavity carcinoma following surgery, and eventually succumbed to disease.

Conclusion:

Recently, there appears to be much public awareness of and empathy for complementary and alternative medicine. Healthcare professionals should be aware of such therapies so that they can advise their patients in an informed manner. The role of such therapies in benign conditions may not be as critical as that in malignancy, where life-saving conventional treatment may be abandoned in favour of complementary and alternative medicine, with consequent loss of life.

Keywords

Spiritual TherapiesTongueCarcinoma
Type
Clinical Records
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 125 , Issue 11 , November 2011 , pp. 1193 - 1195
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1Vickers, A. Reflections on complementary medicine research in the UK. Complement Ther Med 1999;7:199–200CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2Taylor, N, Blackwell, A. Complementary and alternative medicine familiarization: what's happening in medical schools in Wales? Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2010;7(2):265–9. Epub 2008 Jan 16CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3Shakeel, M, Trinidade, A, Ah-See, KW. Complementary and alternative medicine use by otolaryngology patients: a paradigm for practitioners in all surgical specialties. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2010;267:961–71CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4Ernst, E, Cassileth, BR. The prevalence of complementary/alternative medicine in cancer: a systematic review. Cancer 1998;83:777–823.0.CO;2-O>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5Trinkaus, M, Burman, D, Barmala, N, Rodin, G, Jones, J, Lo, C et al. Spirituality and use of complementary therapies for cure in advanced cancer. Psychooncology 2010, in pressGoogle ScholarPubMed
6Carlson, LE, Bultz, BD. Mind-body interventions in oncology. Curr Treat Options Oncol 2008;9:127–34CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7Sood, A, Barton, DL, Bauer, BA, Loprinzi, CL. A critical review of complementary therapies for cancer-related fatigue. Integr Cancer Ther 2007;6:8–13CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8Mercurio, R, Eliott, JA. Trick or treat? Australian newspaper portrayal of complementary and alternative medicine for the treatment of cancer. Support Care Cancer 2011;19(1):67–80. Epub 2009 Nov 27CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9Frenkel, M, Ben-Arye, E, Cohen, L. Communication in cancer care: discussing complementary and alternative medicine. Integr Cancer Ther 2010;9:177–85CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10Jose, VW, Bhalla, A, Sharma, N, Hota, D, Sivaprasad, S, Pandhi, P. Study of association between use of complementary and alternative medicine and the non-compliance with modern medicine in patients presenting to the emergency department. J Postgrad Med 2007;53:96–101CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11House of Lords Select Committee on Sciences and Technology. Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 6th Report. London: Science and Technology Committee Publications, 2000Google Scholar
12Harlan, WR Jr.Research on complementary and alternative medicine using randomized controlled trials. J Altern Complement Med 2001;7(suppl 1):S45–52CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13Saks, M. Improving the research base of complementary and alternative medicine. Complement Ther Clin Pract 2005;11:1–3CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed