Complementary and Alternative Medicine Methods Used Among Turkish Pediatric Oncology Patients

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) methods are gradually becoming common in pediatric oncology. The aim of this study was to determine the current use of CAM methods by Turkish mothers for their children with cancer.

The sample for this descriptive and cross-sectional study consisted of the mothers (n = 110) of children with cancer undergoing treatment in a hematology-oncology clinic and outpatient clinic. The data were collected using a questionnaire that included the CAM methods used by mothers for their children with cancer.

Of 110 children, 65 (59.1%) were diagnosed with leukemia and 107 (97.3%) underwent chemotherapy. More than half of the mothers (53.6%) were using CAM methods. The most common CAM method was the use of natural products (93.2%), of which the most frequently used were carob, mulberry, and grape molasses. Mothers used CAM to support the treatment of their children with cancer and alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy and, in most cases, without previously consulting healthcare professionals about their use.

This study revealed that most mothers used CAM methods for their children.

It is important that healthcare professionals are aware about the use of CAM methods in children with cancer to prevent any possible negative interaction between conventional (i.e., chemotherapy) and alternative treatments.