Characteristics of cancer patients using homeopathy compared with those in conventional care: a cross-sectional study
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Characteristics of cancer patients using homeopathy compared with those in conventional care: a cross-sectional study. / Guethlin, C; Walach, H; Naumann, J; Bartsch, H-H; Rostock, M.
in: ANN ONCOL, Jahrgang 21, Nr. 5, 05.2010, S. 1094-9.Publikationen: SCORING: Beitrag in Fachzeitschrift/Zeitung › SCORING: Zeitschriftenaufsatz › Forschung › Begutachtung
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Characteristics of cancer patients using homeopathy compared with those in conventional care: a cross-sectional study
AU - Guethlin, C
AU - Walach, H
AU - Naumann, J
AU - Bartsch, H-H
AU - Rostock, M
PY - 2010/5
Y1 - 2010/5
N2 - BACKGROUND: There are only few studies on cancer patients who are treated in complementary and alternative medicine clinics and comparing them with patients in conventional care. We will present the comparison of characteristics of two patient cohorts: one was treated in a homeopathic cancer care clinic and one was treated in a conventional oncology care (CC) outpatient clinic.PATIENTS AND METHODS: Six-hundred and forty-seven patients were included in this cross-sectional cohort study and had to fill in questionnaires [health-related quality of life (QoL) (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General Scale), depression and anxiety (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), fatigue (Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory) and expectancies toward treatment]. Clinical data were extracted from medical records. This study presents the comparison of both cohorts.RESULTS: Patients in the homeopathy cohort are younger, better educated and more often employed than patients in the CC cohort. The most pronounced differences indicate longer disease histories and different diagnostic and clinical pretreatment variables. Despite the clinical differences, QoL as well as anxiety, depression and fatigue was similar in both the groups.CONCLUSIONS: Homeopathic treatment is sought by cancer patients at a different phase during the course of the disease, which has particular implications for research. However, expectancies toward the benefit of the treatment as well as QoL data are similar.
AB - BACKGROUND: There are only few studies on cancer patients who are treated in complementary and alternative medicine clinics and comparing them with patients in conventional care. We will present the comparison of characteristics of two patient cohorts: one was treated in a homeopathic cancer care clinic and one was treated in a conventional oncology care (CC) outpatient clinic.PATIENTS AND METHODS: Six-hundred and forty-seven patients were included in this cross-sectional cohort study and had to fill in questionnaires [health-related quality of life (QoL) (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General Scale), depression and anxiety (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), fatigue (Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory) and expectancies toward treatment]. Clinical data were extracted from medical records. This study presents the comparison of both cohorts.RESULTS: Patients in the homeopathy cohort are younger, better educated and more often employed than patients in the CC cohort. The most pronounced differences indicate longer disease histories and different diagnostic and clinical pretreatment variables. Despite the clinical differences, QoL as well as anxiety, depression and fatigue was similar in both the groups.CONCLUSIONS: Homeopathic treatment is sought by cancer patients at a different phase during the course of the disease, which has particular implications for research. However, expectancies toward the benefit of the treatment as well as QoL data are similar.
KW - Affective Symptoms/etiology
KW - Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use
KW - Cohort Studies
KW - Combined Modality Therapy
KW - Cross-Sectional Studies
KW - Female
KW - Homeopathy
KW - Humans
KW - Longitudinal Studies
KW - Male
KW - Middle Aged
KW - Neoplasms/complications
KW - Outpatients/statistics & numerical data
KW - Pain/etiology
KW - Pain Management
KW - Patient Satisfaction
KW - Practice Patterns, Physicians'
KW - Quality of Life
KW - Radiotherapy Dosage
KW - Surveys and Questionnaires
KW - Survival Rate
KW - Treatment Outcome
U2 - 10.1093/annonc/mdp421
DO - 10.1093/annonc/mdp421
M3 - SCORING: Journal article
C2 - 19858085
VL - 21
SP - 1094
EP - 1099
JO - ANN ONCOL
JF - ANN ONCOL
SN - 0923-7534
IS - 5
ER -