A comparison of physician and patient perspectives on unconventional cancer therapies

In two related studies about unconventional cancer therapies, patients and physicians were interviewed about their experiences and opinions. In this paper comparisons are made and implications discussed. There was general agreement among physicians and patients about the importance of providing access to information about unconventional approaches for interested patients. However, there were substantial differences in perspective on other issues, including: what constitutes 'unconventional', the helpfulness of typical physician responses to patients interested in or using unconventional therapies, the proper interface between practitioners of conventional and unconventional therapies, the reasons for communication problems (related to unconventional therapies) between physicians and patients, and the proper criteria for making decisions about unconventional therapies. Cancer specialists, family physicians and other health professionals need to look for ways to better understand and meet the needs of their patients with interests in unconventional approaches if they hope to preserve or improve relations.