05.01.07
The Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology/Oncology, MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics, the Cancer Research Center, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, and the Department of Sociology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, recently conducted a study to describe complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) usage among phase I trial participants and to describe these patients’ treatment decision-making preferences, awareness of prognosis, survival and quality of life. Advanced cancer patients enrolling into phase I trials were surveyed regarding biologically based CAM use. Decision-making preferences and awareness of prognosis were as-sessed using validated and/or standardized instruments. Of 212 interviewed patients, 34% described taking biologically based CAM remedies. Median age of those taking biologically based CAM was 55 years, compared with 62 years for nonusers. There were no statistically significant differences found between CAM usage and preferences for degree of patient involvement in medical decision-making. Those patients who acknowledged that their deaths were likely to occur within one year were more likely to admit to prior CAM use (70% vs. 34%). The study also found that CAM users had poorer overall quality of life compared with nonusers. Lastly, no differences in survival were identified. The study concluded that prior CAM use among the phase I cancer trial patients studied was common and associated with age, stated acknowledgment of prognosis and quality of life. Therefore, researchers believe patients enrolling in early-phase trials should be questioned about CAM use. It is also believed that a follow-up study is necessary to determine the frequency of use of those biologically based CAM agents that threaten the accuracy of early-phase cancer trial data.