TABLE 2.
Patient Characteristics
| Characteristics | Intervention Group (n = 105) | Control Group (n = 105) | All (N = 210) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex, No (%) | |||
| Female | 62 (59) | 46 (53) | 118 (56) |
| Male | 43 (41) | 49 (47) | 92 (44) |
| Age, mean (SD) | 60.9 (11.8) | 60.7 (12) | 60.8 (11.9) |
| Married/in a relationship, No (%) | |||
| Yes | 79 (75) | 81 (77) | 160 (76) |
| No | 19 (18) | 19 (18) | 38 (18) |
| Other | 3 (3) | 1 (1) | 4 (2) |
| Missing | 4 (4) | 4 (4) | 8 (4) |
| Education, No (%) | |||
| High | 7 (7) | 11 (10) | 18 (9) |
| Middle | 72 (69) | 71 (68) | 143 (68) |
| Low | 16 (15) | 14 (13) | 30 (14) |
| Other | 4 (4) | 5 (5) | 9 (4) |
| Missing | 6 (5) | 4 (4) | 10 (5) |
| Cancer diagnosis, No (%) | |||
| Breast | 29 (27) | 27 (26) | 56 (26) |
| Prostate | 17 (16) | 12 (10) | 29 (14) |
| Lung | 21 (20) | 26 (25) | 47 (22) |
| GI | 26 (25) | 25 (24) | 51 (24) |
| Ovarian | 4 (4) | 4 (4) | 8 (4) |
| Uterine | 0 | 1 (1) | 1 (1) |
| Pancreas | 4 (4) | 6 (6) | 10 (5) |
| Missing | 4 (4) | 4 (4) | 8 (4) |
| Treatment intention, No (%) | |||
| Curative | 50 (48) | 38 (36) | 88 (42) |
| Palliative | 50 (48) | 63 (60) | 113 (54) |
| Missing | 5 (4) | 4 (4) | 9 (4) |
| Current treatment, No (%) | |||
| Chemotherapy | 75 (70) | 68 (64) | 143 (67) |
| Immunotherapy | 6 (6) | 7 (7) | 13 (6) |
| Antibody therapy | 2 (2) | 1 (1) | 3 (1) |
| Chemotherapy + antibody | 7 (7) | 12 (11) | 19 (9) |
| Chemotherapy + radiation | 7 (7) | 6 (6) | 13 (6) |
| Other | 4 (4) | 7 (7) | 11 (5) |
| Missing | 4 (4) | 4 (4) | 8 (4) |
| Attitude toward CAM, No (%) | |||
| Don't know | 5 (5) | 8 (8) | 13 (6) |
| Against | 1 (1) | 1 (1) | 2 (1) |
| Neutral | 20 (19) | 18 (17) | 38 (18) |
| Positive | 41 (39) | 41 (39) | 82 (39) |
| Very positive | 34 (32) | 33 (31) | 67 (32) |
| Missing | 4 (4) | 4 (4) | 8 (4) |
| Use of CAM, No (%) | |||
| Yes | 73 (70) | 78 (74) | 151 (72) |
| No | 27 (26) | 23 (22) | 50 (24) |
| Don't know | 1 (1) | 0 | 1 (0) |
| Missing | 5 (3) | 4 (4) | 9 (4) |
| CAM type, No (%) | |||
| Nutritiona | |||
| None | 45 (42) | 36 (34) | 81 (38) |
| One type | 52 (50) | 61 (58) | 113 (54) |
| Two types | 8 (8) | 8 (8) | 16 (8) |
| Psychological/physical approaches, No (%)b | |||
| None | 67 (63) | 74 (70) | 141 (67) |
| One type | 25 (24) | 13 (12) | 38 (18) |
| Two types | 10 (10) | 12 (11) | 22 (10) |
| Three types | 2 (2) | 5 (5) | 7 (4) |
| Four types | 1 (1) | 1 (2) | 2 (1) |
| Other, No (%)c | |||
| None | 88 (83) | 83 (79) | 171 (81) |
| One type | 17 (17) | 19 (18) | 36 (17) |
| Two types | 0 | 3 (3) | 3 (2) |
Abbreviations: CAM, complementary alternative medicine; SD, standard deviation.
a
Nutrition: special diets, herbs, vitamins, minerals, dietary supplements, and probiotics.
b
Psychological/physical approaches: mindfulness, tai chi, yoga, acupuncture, massage therapy, spinal manipulation, art therapy, music therapy, dance, chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation, meditation, relaxation techniques, qigong, hypnotherapy, and pilates.
c
Other: traditional healing, ayurvedic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, homeopathy, naturopathy, and functional medicine.