Complementary care for cancer patients—in which therapies including acupuncture, yoga, exercise and/or supplements are added to conventional treatment such as surgery or chemotherapy—is increasingly used at major cancer centers in the US, and it definitely can reduce side effects and in some cases even improve outcomes. But what happens when cancer patients forgo conventional treatment and rely exclusively on “alternative” therapies?
It’s not good for the cancer patient, at all.
Background: Taming rogue cancer cells requires aggressive treatment, often including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and supplemental hormones. These conventional cancer treatments can take a heavy toll on the body. Complementary treatments can help, treating the whole person, bolstering natural immunity and harnessing the power of mind/body medicine. But some patients use these therapies instead of conventional treatment. Researchers decided to investigate survival rates for these patients.
Study: Yale School of Medicine investigators identified 281 participants from a national cancer registry who used only alternative treatments when diagnosed with one of the four most common cancers—breast, prostate, lung or colorectal cancer. Researchers excluded people with stage four cancer—disease that had spread to other parts of the body. The researchers then statistically matched each of these participants with two other cancer patients who used conventional cancer treatment. The participants were matched according to type and stage of cancer, age, race, year of diagnosis, type of insurance, and “comorbidities” (related medical conditions). This careful matching allowed the researchers to compare outcomes based on the type of treatment that each patient received. The participants were followed for a median period of 5.5 years.
Results: When considering all of the participants together, regardless of the type of cancer, those who used only alternative therapies had more than twice the risk for death from the disease. Their five-year survival rates were also significantly worse than those of participants who used conventional cancer treatment. Breast cancer patients who refused conventional treatment had the worst comparative outcomes, with more than five times the risk for death and much worse five-year survival (58% versus 87% for breast cancer patients treated conventionally). Participants with colorectal cancer who refused conventional treatment had 4.5 times the risk for death from cancer and five-year survival of 33% versus 79%, and those with lung cancer who refused conventional treatment had twice the risk for death and five-year survival of 20% versus 41%.
Surprising finding: On average, participants with prostate cancer who declined conventional cancer treatment fared nearly as well as those who underwent traditional treatment, with a five-year survival rate of 86% versus 92%. One likely reason is that many cases of prostate cancer are slow growing and may benefit from active surveillance rather than immediate treatment. Because this study lasted only 5.5 years, it may not capture what would happen over a longer period for this often slow-growing cancer.
Bottom line: Adding complementary therapies into conventional cancer care can help manage the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation, reduce pain, anxiety and depression, and help counter cancer-related fatigue. Indeed, many of those in this study who chose conventional care may have also used complementary care—the study didn’t track that separately. But relying on these approaches as an alternative to conventional cancer treatment is very risky. If you or a loved one has cancer, speak with your health-care provider about integrating complementary care into your cancer-fighting arsenal.
Tip: One of the best ways to find an evidence-based complementary cancer treatment program is to seek out one of the 49 “Comprehensive Cancer Centers” designated by the National Cancer Institute. Other useful sites: The Society for Integrative Oncology and Cancer Treatment Centers of America.
To learn more, see Bottom Line’s article, “Get the Very Best Cancer Care.”
