Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026
The Goeckerman Regimen for the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Psoriasis
Published on: July 11, 2013
[Parents-interview on use of complementary and alternative medicine in pediatric oncology in Germany]
A Längler1, C Spix, S Gottschling
1Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus, Abteilung für Kinder- und Jugendmedizin, Herdecke. a.laengler@gemeinschaftskrankenhaus.de
Background:
There are no published data on the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in pediatric oncology in Germany.
Patients/Method:
All parents of children, who where diagnosed a disease registered in the German Childhood Registry in 2001 were sent a questionnaire to evaluate possible CAM-use.
Results:
1 602 questionnaires were sent to the families, from whom 1 063 sent the questionnaire back to us. They reported a 35 % CAM-use-rate. The probability to use CAM was positively influenced by preexisting experience with CAM, higher social level and poor prognosis. 71 % of the users discussed the CAM-use with a physician. The reason for CAM-use seldom was missing trust in conventional medicine. 89 % of the CAM-users would recommend CAM-use to other parents in a comparable situation.
Conclusions:
The reported CAM-use rate of 35 % in pediatric oncology in Germany is as reported in the international literature for other European countries. Essential parts of CAM-advise and -prescription are done by non-professionals, so that there is a need to get competence in CAM in pediatric oncology in Germany.
Related Concept Videos
02:49Cancer Therapies
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
02:50Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...