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Most British Women With Breast Cancer Take Complementary And Alternative Medicines: Presented at AICR
By Emma Hitt
Special to DG News
WASHINGTON, DC -- July 17, 2001 -- About three quarters of British women with breast cancer may be taking complementary and alternative medicines (CAM). Women with a higher education level and income are also more likely to take them, according to the findings of a new study.
Susan Tebbs, and colleagues from the University College, London, England presented the findings at the American Institute for Cancer Research's 11th Annual Research Conference on Diet, Nutrition and Cancer here yesterday.
The researchers wanted to assess the prevalence and range of CAM used by women with breast cancer and to correlate this with total household income and social class in order to identify those who are most likely to use these therapies.
They recruited women between the ages of 18 to 75 with primary breast cancer (Grade I to III) one year after diagnosis. Self-administered questionnaires were used to document CAM use and Social Class Group (SCG), a British system that groups individuals with similar salaries and education levels.
Out of 160 questionnaires, 117 (73 percent) women were using CAM during the year after diagnosis. The women reported using 93 different types of CAM (77 ingested substances and 16 physical therapies), and, on average, used about four different therapies per person.
The average total household income of CAM users was higher than that of non-users ($40,678 vs. $14,374). A total of 31 (26.5 percent) CAM users were in the SCGII (SCG I being the highest educational/salary level); but fewer non-CAM users were in SCGII and 22.5 percent of non-CAM users were in the lowest educational/salary group (SCG IV).
"Our data demonstrate that CAM use is common amongst women with breast cancer and (that) a wide range of therapies is used," the researchers note. "These data show that women with breast cancer, who use CAM have a higher household income, are generally in a higher social class, and are in paid occupations," they add.
"The women in higher classes probably have more disposable income," Tebbs told Doctor's Guide at the meeting. The other explanation is that they tend to be well-educated professional women who are wanting to take more control of their health," she added.
According to Tebbs, the most commonly used supplements were minerals, such as iron and calcium, and vitamins. "Gamma-linoleic acid was also popular, as was primrose oil, and omega-3 type fish oil," she said.
"We were amazingly surprised at the percentage of women taking supplements," Tebbs said.
"I suspect that 73 percent may be on the low side, because you are studying women who perhaps are not happy with conventional treatment, and they may not all necessarily come out and say that they are not happy," she said.
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