Tuberc Respir Dis.  2021 Apr;84(2):105-114. 10.4046/trd.2020.0098.

Awareness and Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Korean Lung Cancer Patients

• Choi JY
• Ji W
• Choi CM
• Chung C
• Noh JM
• Park CK
• Oh IJ
• Yoon HI
• Kim HR
• Kim HY
• Yeo CD
• Jang SH
• on behalf of the Public Relation Committee of the Korean Association for Lung Cancer

• KMID: 2514019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2020.0098

Abstract

Background
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has been used frequently, and its use continues to increase in lung cancer patients, despite insufficient scientific of its efficacy. To investigate this situation, we analyzed the current awareness and use of CAM in Korean lung-cancer patients. Methods: This prospective survey–based study was performed at seven medical centers in South Korea between August and October 2019. The survey assessed general patient characteristics and the awareness and use of CAM. We analyzed differences in the clinical parameters of patients aware and not aware of CAM and of CAM non-users and users.
Results
Of the 434 patients included in this study, 68.8% responded that they were aware of CAM and 30.9% said they had experienced it. In univariate analysis, the patients aware of CAM were younger with poor performance status, had advanced-stage lung cancer, received more systemic therapy, and received concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT). By multiple logistic regression, younger age, poor performance status, advanced stage, and prior CCRT were identified as independent risk factors for CAM awareness. There were no significant differences in the general characteristics and cancer-associated clinical parameters of CAM non-users and users.
Conclusion
Specific clinical parameters were associated with patients’ awareness of CAM, although there were no significantly different characteristics between CAM users and non-users.

Keyword

Complementary Therapies; Lung Neoplasms; Awareness; Cross-sectional Studies; Prospective Studies