Is complementary and alternative medicine use associated with cancer screening rates for women with functional disabilities?

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use, Cancer Screening, and Medical Checkups in Japan from 2001 to 2013: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: The association between complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use and other health-related behaviors is an important issue. A previous study reported that complementary medicine use is related to greater use of cancer screening, whereas alternative medicine use is related to lower use of cancer screening. Given the sparse evidence from Japan, we aimed to examine the association of CAM use with cancer screening and medical checkups. We used a repeated cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of Japanese people and conducted age-period-cohort analysis. Methods: The study population was 68,217 of 83,827 individuals observed from 2001 to 2013 who received cancer screening. CAM users were defined as individuals who received acupuncture, moxibustion, anma/massage/shiatsu, or judo therapy for their most worrisome symptom. The outcomes of interest were receiving stomach, lung, colorectal, uterine, and breast cancer screenings and medical checkups. Using crossclassified multilevel logistic regression models, we estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% credible intervals (CIs) for cancer screening and medical checkups. Results: For CAM users of complementary medicine, the adjusted ORs for stomach, lung, and colorectal cancer screening were 1.40 (95% CI: 1.35-1.44), 1.37 (95% CI: 1.34-1.40), and 1.52 (95% CI: 1.49-1.54), respectively. We found similar results for uterine and breast cancer screening, and medical checkups. Conclusions: Irrespective of whether they use CAM, CAM users in Japan tend to receive a variety of cancer screenings and medical checkups.

The Use of Complementary Health Approaches Among U.S. Adults with a Recent Cancer Diagnosis

OBJECTIVE

The object of this study was to explore the use of complementary health approaches among U.S. adults with a cancer diagnosis in the past 5 years and distinguish use for general wellness from use specifically for treatment.

METHODS

Using data from the 2002, 2007, and 2012 National Health Interview Survey, the study included 1359 persons with a cancer diagnosis of selected cancers in the past 5 years. Participants were asked about their use of complementary health approaches for general reasons and cancer treatment in the past 12 months. Responses were aggregated into the use of any complementary approach as well as examined by mode of practice.

RESULTS

Overall, 35.3% of persons with a cancer diagnosis used complementary health approaches in the past 12 months. These persons were more likely to have used a biologically based approach (22.8%) compared with other approaches. Persons with breast cancer were significantly more likely to use any complementary health approach (43.6%) compared with those with other recently diagnosed cancers. Few persons with a cancer history (2.3%) used complementary approaches specifically for cancer treatment. However, prevalence of use for treatment varied by cancer type (0.4%-6.8%).

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights differences in the use of various types of complementary health approaches for different reasons among persons with recent diagnoses of some of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United States.