People with cancer sometimes think about using complementary or alternative therapies. In fact, it is believed that many people have used at least one complementary or alternative therapy as part of their cancer treatment. There are many reasons for this:
- Some people find conventional treatments difficult to tolerate, so they may look for one that is easier to tolerate.
- Others look for ways to lessen the side effects of conventional treatment.
- People may also feel they have a sense of control and are involved in their treatment by choosing a complementary or alternative therapy.
Often people hesitate to ask or tell their doctor or healthcare team about using a complementary or alternative therapy. Although the decision to use a complementary or alternative therapy is a personal one, it is important that the doctor knows of such use because there is a chance that other therapies may affect how the cancer treatment works or how the body handles the treatment or may increase side effects of treatment.
Therapies that come from natural sources (such as herbs) are not necessarily safe and could be potentially harmful or interact with cancer treatments. However, there are a number of complementary therapies that may be safely used along with conventional cancer treatments to help relieve symptoms or side effects and improve quality of life. Check with the healthcare team before using a complementary therapy along with conventional cancer treatment.
More information is available on conventional approaches because they have been scientifically studied, but less is known about the safety and effectiveness of complementary and alternative therapies. Many complementary and alternative therapy products are unregulated, so there can be risks for consumers related to the safety and quality of these products.
Also, delaying or interrupting conventional treatment to try an alternative therapy may pose a serious risk.
Evaluating complementary and alternative therapies
When considering a complementary or alternative therapy, think about the following points and questions before making a decision.
Look at what the therapy claims to do
- Does it claim to cure a wide range of illnesses?
- Does it claim to cure all cancers?
- Does it claim to relieve side effects or symptoms?
Check the source of information
- Is the information from a reliable and trustworthy source, or is it written by the maker or provider of the therapy?
- Does the information come from a healthcare professional, or does it come from word of mouth from family or friends?
- Was the complementary or alternative therapy evaluated using scientific studies and reviewed by experts in the field, or do the claims seem questionable, but made to look like scientific research?
- Does the information rely heavily on individual stories or testimonials? Are the information and claims backed up in credible scientific journals?
- Is there a sufficient amount of research written up in scientific journals to support the claims, or are there quotes from publications other than reputable scientific journals?
- Does the information talk about the potential risks or side effects of the complementary or alternative therapy?
See if the therapy has been scientifically evaluated
- It is important that complementary and alternative therapies be evaluated the same way as conventional treatments, through careful and thorough scientific studies. Conventional treatments are often evaluated and proven to be effective in clinical trials involving large numbers of people. Randomized controlled trials give the strongest evidence for the effectiveness of a therapy. The treatment must show positive results through all the phases of clinical testing.
- Practitioners of complementary or alternative therapies are often reluctant to allow their therapy to be thoroughly tested in clinical trials or refuse to allow their treatment to be evaluated by other experts. Some popular treatments have been reviewed or evaluated and have not shown to be effective or beneficial.
- However, some complementary and alternative therapies have been studied and are making their way into cancer treatment plans to help relieve symptoms or side effects and help cancer patients feel better. Others are still being studied in clinical trials. Be aware that if a complementary therapy is used along with conventional care, it may or may not be of benefit. Scientific testing of a complementary therapy or product still needs to be done to prove it is beneficial.
Look at credentials (qualifications)
- What are the training, credentials (qualifications) and experience of the practitioners providing or supporting the treatment, and are the practitioners accredited or licensed with professional organizations? Have they attended an accredited university? Be cautious about treatments given or promoted by people or organizations that give vague credentials.
- Are the practitioners recognized as complementary or alternative therapy experts in cancer treatment, and by whom?
- Is the clinic, facility or practitioner providing the therapy associated with a recognized cancer centre, cancer agency, hospital or university?
- Is the therapy provider willing to work with the cancer doctor (oncologist)?
Check how safe the therapy is and how it will be evaluated to see if it is working
- How safe is the complementary or alternative therapy? What are the side effects?
- Does this complementary or alternative therapy have the potential to interfere with cancer treatment or increase cancer growth?
- What should be reported? Any changes in health, changes in body function or possible allergic reactions (such as itching, hives and shortness of breath) should be reported right away.
- How will the complementary or alternative therapy be checked to see how well it is working? What tests will need to be done? How will the complementary or alternative therapy be measured to determine its ability to improve health or well-being? With conventional therapy, often this is measured by how much a tumour shrinks in size or how much pain is lessened, the appetite improves or survival increases.
Look at cost and other issues related to the therapy
- How much does the complementary or alternative therapy cost? Many alternative therapies are expensive and may not be covered by provincial or private health plans. Weigh the cost against the potential benefits suggested by reliable reports of the therapy in scientific journals. If this information is not available, it may mean that the potential benefits or risks are unknown.
- What is needed for the therapy? Some therapies require travel to distant clinics or long-term use of the therapy, which can cause financial hardship.
- Check to see what language the practitioner of the therapy speaks because it is important to be able to communicate with them to be fully informed about the therapy.
- Who is going to do follow-up care? Check with your doctor or healthcare team about follow-up, especially if you intend to travel elsewhere to receive treatment. Ask how this may affect treatment, if it is needed, when you return.