One Fourth of PCa Patients Use Complementary Therapy

One in four prostate cancer patients who responded to a survey said they used complementary therapies (CTs), according to a British study published in the European Journal of Cancer Care (2008;17:492-499).

Of the CT users, 43% said they had not informed any doctor about their use of these therapies. The most frequently used CTs were vitamins, low-fat diets, lycopene, and green tea, investigators found.

Additionally, the study showed that CT users were five times as likely as nonusers to have their cancer managed conservatively with active surveillance.

The investigators mailed survey questionnaires to a random sample of 405 prostate cancer patients, of whom 294 (73%) responded.

From the November 01, 2008 Issue of Renal and Urology News