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Complementary alternative medicine and nuclear medicine.

Ursula Werneke1, V Ralph McCready

  • 1Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, SE5 8AF, UK.

European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
|January 15, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Complementary alternative medicines (CAMs) can affect cancer treatments and diagnostic results. Healthcare providers should ask patients about CAM use to avoid unexpected outcomes.

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Area of Science:

  • Nuclear Medicine
  • Oncology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Complementary alternative medicines (CAMs), including food supplements, are frequently used by patients, particularly those undergoing cancer treatment.
  • Patients and healthcare providers may lack awareness of potential CAM side-effects and interactions with conventional therapies.
  • CAMs possess physiological effects that can interfere with radiopharmaceutical kinetics, leading to altered treatment responses and diagnostic findings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the potential impact of CAMs on nuclear medicine procedures.
  • To emphasize the importance of inquiring about CAM usage in patient history.
  • To inform nuclear medicine physicians about considering CAMs when interpreting diagnostic or therapeutic results.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on CAMs and their interactions with medical treatments.
  • Analysis of physiological effects of common CAMs.
  • Clinical case considerations regarding CAMs in nuclear medicine.

Main Results:

  • CAMs can alter radiopharmaceutical biodistribution and excretion.
  • Interactions may lead to inaccurate diagnostic imaging or suboptimal therapeutic outcomes.
  • Unexpected results in radionuclide therapy or diagnosis may be linked to CAM intake.

Conclusions:

  • Nuclear medicine physicians must actively question patients about CAM consumption.
  • Awareness of CAMs' physiological effects is crucial for accurate interpretation of results.
  • Considering CAMs in patient history can prevent misdiagnosis and improve treatment efficacy.

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