Complementary and alternative medicine usage and its determinant factors among Iranian patients with cancer

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the application of some Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) techniques among cancer patients in Kerman, Southeast of Iran. Patients and Methods: This is a descriptive-analytic study. The statistical population consisted of patients referring to the Cancer Clinic and Yas Association of Kerman in 2016-2017. Data were collected using a two-part researcher-made questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics (chi-square test and logistic regression test) with SPSS version 18. Results: According to the present study, 45.9% of participants used at least one of the CAM methods except for prayer in the past year. 37.5% of the people consulted with their doctor for the use of CAMs. Regarding the number of used methods, the result of the study showed that 88% of the subjects used one of the methods, 3.6% used two, 7.2% used 3, and 1.2% used 4 CAM methods during the last year. The multifactor logistic regression showed that gender was the only factor which had a significant association with being or not being a user of CAMs. Conclusions: The results showed that almost one out of two cancer patients uses CAMs for cancer treatment indicating high prevalence of these treatments in cancer. Women were more willing to use CAM methods than men. Therefore, health care providers must pay more attention to this group during cancer treatment to reduce treatment interactions and increase the quality of care.