Alternative Medicine Linked to Lower Cancer Survival

Alternative medicines can cause patients more harm than good if not taken properly.

Patients who choose alternative medicines as their only cancer therapy can lower their chances of survival, according to treatments analyzed from the National Cancer Database.

A study conducted by Skyler Johnson, MD, a chief resident in Radiation Oncology at Yale School of Medicine, found that alternative medicines had a 2.5 greater risk of death compared to conventional treatments (like chemotherapy, radiation and surgery).

Certain alternative medicines can help patients improve their quality of life during treatment, while others may cause harmful reactions with traditional medicines.

Alternative medicines are defined in this study as unproven therapies. Though these medicines may be undergoing research in preclinical or laboratory settings, they are currently unproven to treat cancer.

The study looked at patients diagnosed with the four most common cancers in the U.S. between 2004 and 2013 (breast, lung, prostate, and colorectal cancers).

The researchers found that patients who chose alternative therapies had a 2.5-fold increased risk of death after 5 years compared with patients who chose conventional therapy.

Alternative Medicines Used Alongside Conventional Treatments

The benefits of alternative medicines becomes more nuanced when taken alongside conventional treatments.

According to Heather Greenlee, ND, MPH, PhD, an author of The Breast Cancer Quality of Care (BQUAL) Study, patients may safely use alternative medicines (like acupuncture or botanical supplements) during their cancer treatments. However, these treatments should always be used under the guidance of their doctors.

Most importantly, alternative treatments should be done in addition to conventional therapies and not as a replacement.

Types of Alternative Treatments

Mind-body and biologically based practices are the most commonly used therapies analyzed by the study.

Mind-body therapies include practices like:

• Meditation
• Biofeedback
• Practicing relaxation response
• Prayer
• Music
• Expressive arts therapy

These treatment are used to decrease the stress and anxiety of dealing with cancer. They can also help ease treatment-related symptoms.

Biologically based therapies include treatments like:

• Dietary supplements
• Vitamins
• American and Chinese herbs
• Special diets
• Antioxidants

Despite being the most frequently used alternative treatments, biologically based therapies are among the least evidence-based.

Though many patients use over-the-counter supplements and herbal products to support their health during treatment, there can be significant risks.

Certain products can result in toxic reactions like kidney failure or have extremely harmful interactions with conventional treatments. For example, St. John’s wort, a popular herbal supplement used to relieve depression, reduces the effectiveness of certain chemotherapy drugs.

Cancer Type Affects Risk of Alternative Medicines

Patients have many reasons for choosing alternative over conventional therapies. The research on the use and effectiveness of alternative medicine is also currently very limited. This is partly due to scarce data and partly to patient hesitance to tell doctors about their decision to use alternative treatments.

The level of risk for choosing an alternative medicine also depends on the type of cancer being treated.

• Breast cancer patients’ risk of death after 5 years was 5 times higher for patients who chose alternative medicine.
• Colorectal cancer patients’ risk was 4 times after 5 years
• Lung cancer patients’ risk was 2 times higher

However, there was no statistically significant increased risk for patients with prostate cancer.

Alternative medicines can provide a great source of relief from the emotional distress and physical symptoms of living with cancer. But always consult a doctor before undergoing any additional therapies to your treatment.