Cancer patients conceal alternative meds

DENVER, Oct 18, 2005 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Many people with cancer may be concealing their use of vitamins, herbs or other complementary medicines from their doctors -- an omission that could compromise their treatment, a new study has found.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania surveyed 273 cancer patients and found 48 percent used alternative or complementary products, and about three-quarters of them fail to share that information with their doctors.

Had their doctors known about the use of supplements, "most would take a conservative approach and ask patients not to take them during their treatment," said researcher Dr. Neha Vapiwala, a radiation oncologist at Penn.

Dr. Gregory Swanson, a radiation oncologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, agreed.

"This is a problem most of us don't know how to deal with," Swanson told United Press International. "To be conservative, I ask patients not to take supplements during treatment, even if they want to start them again afterward."

Despite the findings, Swanson said he thinks sales of alternative or complementary products will be only minimally affected.

"Most people who take supplements believe they will help them, regardless of what we tell them," he said.

Vapiwala said survey respondents revealed they used the alternative products as a cost-effective means of treating their cancer and improving their overall health. Of those surveyed, she added, 88 percent thought the supplements were worth the cost.

"Some were spending over $50 a month, yet even people who weren't sure the supplements were helping said it was worth it," she said.

The respondents tended to use two different products, most commonly vitamins and herbal and botanical supplements.

The survey, reported at the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, included 142 patients receiving radiation therapy for either breast or prostate cancer and 131 chemotherapy patients.

Of the radiation patients, 35 percent used complementary or alternative medicines, while 65 percent of the chemotherapy patients did so.

"When we give patients radiation therapy, we want the radiation to create free radicals that oxidize and kill cancer cells," Vapiwala said, "but herbal medications such as saw palmetto and St. John's Wort contain anti-oxidants that may counter the effects of the radiation on unwanted cancer cells."

Other popular anti-oxidant supplements include beta carotene and vitamins A, C and E.

Patients undergoing radiation therapy should stop taking all alternative or complementary medications, except for a once-daily multi-vitamin pill, she said.

Vapiwala said many doctors do not ask their patients about complementary medicines, and even if they do, they tend to ask only once and fail to follow up.

"Don't rely on your doctor, who may be in and out of the room, to bring it up," she said. "Tell them what you are taking and how much."

She recommended that if patients feel reluctant about approaching their doctors, then they should share the information with a nurse, therapist or other person at the clinic.

Charlene Laino covers healthcare research for UPI. E-mail: healthbiz@upi.com

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