Research & Development In Brief
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Cancer survivors' CAM use: Slightly more than 40 percent of adult cancer survivors use nutritional supplements and vitamins as a complement to conventional treatment, according to a study of complementary treatment methods published online Aug. 4 in the journal Cancer. Affluent, well-educated Hispanics and "other" racial groups are more likely to take vitamins and supplements, as are women and breast and ovarian cancer survivors, according to the longitudinal, nationwide study for the American Cancer Society which surveyed 5,901 adult cancer survivors. The complementary method most frequently reported of the 19 included in the survey was prayer/spiritual practice (61.4 percent), while relaxation as treatment was reported by 44.3 percent and faith/spiritual healing by 42.4 percent, say the researchers led by Ted Gansler, a physician and member of the ACS staff