The NAFKAM International Registry of Exceptional Courses of Disease Related to the Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Living outliers: experiences, insights and narratives of exceptional survivors of incurable cancer

AIM

Unexplained prolonged survival given a diagnosis of incurable advanced cancer is a puzzling phenomenon that recently has attracted more scientific research. The purpose of this study was to add to the understanding of how exceptional patients perceive and explain their unusual experience.

METHODS

We recruited patients for interviews from a population registry, patients with advanced lung or pancreatic malignancy who experienced exceptional survival.

RESULTS & CONCLUSION

In total, 15 participants were interviewed. The main recurrent themes in most of the interviews were patient-doctor communication, family support and the patient's proactive attitude. In this study, patients attribute their longevity to relationships with their doctor and their family - not the type of treatment they received. Further research on this phenomenon is needed.

Exceptional patients: Narratives of connections

Objective:

This study sought to better understand the patient s perspective of the experience of recovery from cancer that appeared to defy medical prognoses.

Methods:

Fourteen cases of medically verified exceptional outcomes were identified. A qualitative approach, employing long narrative interviews was used. Data was analyzed using a cross case thematic analytic approach.

Results:

The major overarching theme was connections, both internal and external. Internal included connections with God or a higher power and with oneself. The external connections, the focus of this paper, included 1) personal connections with friends and family, 2) connections with the medical system: the physician, nurses and other staff, and 3) connections with other patients. They described the nature of these relationships and the importance of frequent contact with family and friends as providing significant emotional and instrumental support. They expressed confidence in receiving care from a reputable clinic, and with very little probing illustrated the importance of the relationship with their providers. They articulated the significance of the compassionate qualities of the physician and identified communication attributes of their physician that were important in establishing this connection. These attributes were demeanor, availability, honesty, sensitivity in the decision making process. They provided examples of positive connections with nurses and other staff as well as with other patients through their illness process.

Significance of results:

The importance of connections in these illness narratives was richly illustrated. These issues often are overlooked in clinical settings; yet they are of crucial importance to the health and well-being of the patients.

A Patient-defined "Best Case" of Multiple Sclerosis Related to the Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Chronically ill people are frequent users of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Some patients experience great benefits from their use of CAM, like patient “XX” in this case report. XX was diagnosed with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis in 2004 and has reported a “best case” after the use of Dr Birgitta Brunes' unconventional treatment. The patient reports that many of her symptoms that, according to her neurologist, were irreversible are gone or have been greatly reduced. Such patient-defined “best cases” related to the use of CAM should be further explored to optimize and safeguard patients' treatment decisions and treatment outcomes.