Complementary therapies and cancer treatment

초록

Many patients with cancer use complementary medicine that is used together with conventional medicine. The widespread use of complementary therapies in cancer patients has major implications for research and clinical practices. Some complementary therapies, such as polysaccharide K, Astragalus membranaceus and A. mistletoe, may offer therapeutic benefits for patients with cancer. However, others did not show significant clinical effects for cancer treatment. Therefore, it is important for physicians to communicate openly with cancer patients about the use of complementary therapy. In order to encourage open communications with their patients, physicians should be knowledgeable about the most commonly used remedies, or at least they should be able to direct patients to reliable sources of information.

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