Abstract
The diagnosis and treatment of cancer in children and adolescents have improved considerably in the last decades. Increasingly sophisticated diagnostics, with improved staging and more differentiated treatment, have led to better chances of cure, reduced recurrence rates, and in individual cases also to a reduction of the treatment-associated toxicity and sequelae. These improvements have been made possible by national and international collaboration in the context of specialist societies and research groups. In addition to the optimization of treatment on the clinical level, research in pediatric oncology is looking increasingly at molecular and genetic issues, with increasing focus on individual patterns of tumor-inhibiting and tumor-promoting factors. However, this trend toward individualized diagnosis and treatment is paralleled by another development which is driven mainly by the patients themselves and/or their parents. The frequency with which complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is used in the context of treatment of a child or adolescent with cancer varies from country to country but is almost always relevant in relation to the overall population. However, this development has so far played practically no part in scientific discourse in pediatric oncology. Except in the USA, where there is systematic publicly funded research on the topic of CAM and cancer (http://nccam.nih.gov/research), research on CAM in pediatric oncology, whether epidemiological, basic, or applied research, plays little more than a marginal role in the overall context of research in pediatric oncology. The large research institutions which have contributed substantially to the successes in pediatric oncology have so far given practically no attention to the topic of CAM in pediatric oncology. Where this topic has been scientifically addressed in institutions practicing conventional pediatric oncology, the relevant working groups are usually not more than a marginal phenomenon in the overall scientific context of the research institution concerned. Nevertheless, various scientific working groups do exist which have addressed the topic of CAM in pediatric oncology. Their activities have so far focused mainly on the question of the frequency with which CAM is used in children with cancer, the expected effects of this treatment, and the specific CAM practices used. Studies conducted on this are almost without exception retrospective surveys using either written questionnaires or interviews, or in some cases a combination of the two (see chapter “CAM in pediatric oncology worldwide”). Thus, numerous details regarding the CAM treatment methods used, the motivation of the parents, the general frequency of use, and the factors influencing the likelihood of using CAM have now been described for various populations. On the other hand, practically no data have been systematically collected on side effects, interactions, and adverse effects of CAM practices. Data available in the scientific literature on individual CAM medications or nonmedication interventions from some CAM sectors with a specifically pediatric oncological focus are described in the chapters of this book dealing with the respective treatment modalities.
Keywords
- Pediatric Oncologist
- Music Therapy
- Anthroposophic Medicine
- Scientific Working Group
- Large Research Institution
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Barnes PM, Bloom B, Nahin RL (2008) Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults and children: United States. Natl Health Stat Report 2008:1–23
Corbin Winslow L, Shapiro H (2002) Physicians want education about complementary and alternative medicine to enhance communication with their patients. Arch Intern Med 162:1176–1181
Fountain-Polley S, Kawai G, Goldstein A, Ninan T (2007) Knowledge and exposure to complementary and alternative medicine in paediatric doctors: a questionnaire survey. BMC Complement Altern Med 7:38
Hyodo I, Eguchi K, Nishina T, Endo H, Tanimizu M, Mikami I, Takashima S, Imanishi J (2003) Perceptions and attitudes of clinical oncologists on complementary and alternative medicine: a nationwide survey in Japan. Cancer 97:2861–2868
Jean D, Cyr C (2007) Use of complementary and alternative medicine in a general pediatric clinic. Pediatrics 120:e138–e141
Kemper KJ, O’Connor KG (2004) Pediatricians’ recommendations for complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapies. Ambul Pediatr 4:482–487
Kemper KJ, Dirkse D, Eadie D, Pennington M (2007) What do clinicians want? Interest in integrative health services at a North Carolina academic medical center. BMC Complement Altern Med 7:5
Längler A, Spix C, Seifert G, Gottschling S, Graf N, Kaatsch P (2008) Complementary and alternative treatment methods in children with cancer: A population-based retrospective survey on the prevalence of use in Germany. Eur J Cancer 44:2233–2240
Längler A, Boeker R, Edelhäuser F, Kameda G, Seifert G, Ostermann T (2012) Paediatric oncologists attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine in Germany. Complement Ther Med. doi 10.1016/j.ctim.2012.02.006
Lee RT, Hlubocky FJ, Hu JJ, Stafford RS, Daugherty CK (2008) An international pilot study of oncology physicians’ opinions and practices on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). Integr Cancer Ther 7:70–75
Lewith GT, Hyland M, Gray SF (2001) Attitudes to and use of complementary medicine among physicians in the United Kingdom. Complement Ther Med 9:167–172
Martel D, Bussieres JF, Theoret Y, Lebel D, Kish S, Moghrabi A, Laurier C (2005) Use of alternative and complementary therapies in children with cancer. Pediatr Blood Cancer 44:660–668
Menniti-Ippolito F, Gargiulo L, Bologna E, Forcella E, Raschetti R (2002) Use of unconventional medicine in Italy: a nation-wide survey. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 58:61–64
Risberg T, Kolstad A, Bremnes Y, Holte H, Wist EA, Mella O, Klepp O, Wilsgaard T, Cassileth BR (2004) Knowledge of and attitudes toward complementary and alternative therapies; a national multicentre study of oncology professionals in Norway. Eur J Cancer 40:529–535
Roth M, Lin J, Kim M, Moody K (2009) Pediatric oncologists’ views toward the use of complementary and alternative medicine in children with cancer. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol 31:177–182
Sawni A, Thomas R (2007) Pediatricians’ attitudes, experience and referral patterns regarding Complementary/Alternative Medicine: a national survey. BMC Complement Altern Med 7:18
Sikand A, Laken M (1998) Pediatricians’ experience with and attitudes toward complementary/alternative medicine. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 152:1059–1064
Vlieger AM, Van VM, Jong MC (2010) Attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine: a national survey among paediatricians in the Netherlands. Eur J Pediatr 170(5):619–624
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Längler, A. (2012). Attitudes, Beliefs, and Communication About Complementary and Alternative Medicine Among Oncologists, Pediatricians, and Pediatric Oncologists. In: Längler, A., Mansky, P., Seifert, G. (eds) Integrative Pediatric Oncology. Pediatric Oncology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-04201-0_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-04201-0_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-04200-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-04201-0
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)