Some disturbing news was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology held this fall. Though almost half of cancer patients going through chemotherapy and radiation therapy use some form of CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine), 75 percent do not share the information with their doctors.

Full disclosure to an oncologist (or any doctor) about medical history and all outside therapies is often the best way for cancer patients to ensure that they receive the most appropriate and most effective care possible.

“This study shows the significant lack of communication between patients and their doctors about the use of complementary and alternative medicines, like vitamins and herbs,” said Neha Vapiwala, M.D., lead author of the study and a radiation oncologist at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. “It's important for doctors to know about their patients' CAM use and to understand patients' reasons for using them, so that they can better tailor and optimize treatment regimens and improve patient quality of life during radiation and/or chemotherapy.”

If doctors were educated about the scope of CAM treatments available today (and encouraged to support their patients' use of alternative therapies), it would be easier to initiate an open dialogue with medical professionals. As of now, only 36 percent of cancer patients say their doctors were an important source of information on CAM.

[via Healthy News]

(Illustration: Karen Woo for the American Academy of Family Physicians)