Table 3. Oncologists’ clinical practice patterns with patients regarding CAM (n = 6,007).
| Pattern | Mean ± SD, Median (%) | No. (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Please estimate the percentage of your patients that have used or currently use CAM? | 40.0 ± 28.7, 30 | |
| The reason for CAM use that you recommend to your patients? | ||
| Improve immune system | 5,030 (83.7) | |
| Improve quality of life | 3,976 (66.2) | |
| Manage symptoms | 3,253 (54.2) | |
| Increase the effect of conventional treatment | 2,769 (46.1) | |
| Cure disease | 1,436 (23.9) | |
| Other | 273 (4.5) | |
| No recommendation in use of CAM | 185 (3.1) | |
| Please estimate the percentage of your patients that received chemotherapy/targeted therapy with the concurrent use of CAM? | 28.7 ± 26.6, 20 | |
| What type of CAM you may recommend to your patients for treatment? | ||
| Chinese herbal medicine | 3,975 (66.2) | |
| Dietary therapy | 2,495 (41.5) | |
| Acupuncture | 1,305 (21.7) | |
| Tai chi | 947 (15.8) | |
| Qi gong | 534 (8.9) | |
| Massage therapy | 510 (8.5) | |
| Other | 235 (3.9) | |
| No recommendation in form of CAM | 392 (6.5) | |
| What symptom your patients are suffering from, you may give priority to CAM use? | ||
| Lack of appetite | 4,119 (68.6) | |
| Fatigue | 3,770 (62.8) | |
| Sleep disorder | 3,608 (60.1) | |
| Excess sweating | 3,328 (55.4) | |
| Abdominal distension | 2,213 (36.8) | |
| Nausea/vomiting | 1,882 (31.3) | |
| Dry mouth | 1,724 (28.7) | |
| Numbness/tingling | 1,199 (20.0) | |
| Pain | 1,128 (18.8) | |
| Other | 343 (5.7) | |
| No recommendation in use of CAM | 337 (5.6) |
CAM, complementary and alternative medicine; SD, standard deviation.