Usage of traditional and complementary medicine practices by cancer patients and affecting factors

Cancer is one of the leading public health problems today. The use of Traditional and Complementary Medicine (TCM) applications in the world and in Turkey is becoming increasingly common in cancer patients. In this study, it was aimed to determine the sociodemographic characteristics of cancer patients, their use of TCM applications and the factors affecting them. This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted in 407 cancer patients treated in Fırat University Faculty of Medicine Oncology Service and Oncology Day Treatment Unit. The questionnaire, which also included the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Attitude Scale (CACMAS), was applied to the participants by face-to-face survey technique. The study was carried out between July and September 2021. Statistical Package for Social Sciences 22.0 program was used for statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics in the study were shown as frequency (n), percent (%), Mean±Standard deviation (Mean±Ss). Chi-square analysis (Pearson Chi-Square) was used to compare categorical variables between groups. It was evaluated that the data were not normally distributed with the Kolmogorov Smirnov test, and Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis test, Bonferroni test, Spearman correlation test were used. In statistical analysis, p<0.05 was accepted as significant. The mean age of the individuals included in the study was 60.09±14.67, and 50.4% were women. It was determined that 76.2% of individuals used TCM methods during the cancer treatment process, and 65.2% of them did not share their use of TCM methods with health professionals. When the TCM methods used by the patients are examined, phytotherapy is in the first place and prayer-spiritual practices are in the second place. The use of TCM was found to be significantly higher in the 55-64 age group, married, secondary school graduates, those with social security, the presence of a family history of cancer, the duration of diagnosis of 1-5 years, the presence of a history of TCM use before cancer, those with continuous drug use, and those who do not smoke. (p<0.05). The total CACMAS scores of the patients were 112.20±16.53. Non-smoker, overweight-obese individuals who used GETAT during the treatment period had significantly higher CACMAS scores (p<0.05). As individuals' frequency of use of TCM increases, their CACMAS scores increase significantly (p<0.05). As a result, two-thirds of cancer patients in this study used TCM. More than half of the patients using TCM do not share the use of TCM with their healthcare professionals. Given the prevalence of TCM use among cancer patients and its potential interactions with traditional drugs, physician-patient communication regarding the use of TCM is important. Health professionals should evaluate and inform cancer patients about the use of TCM. Key Words: Traditional Medicine, Complementary Medicine, Cancer, Traditional and Complementary Medicine.