Complementary concerns
March 7, 2013
COMPLEMENTARY and
alternative medicines are a
significant issue in cancer
management, due to their capacity
to cause harm, rapidly increasing
use, availability, variety, and in
some cases high financial costs,
according to the Cancer Council.
The comments come as part of a
new position statement from the
Cancer Council on Complementary
and Alternative Therapies.
“There is much controversy and
debate about the use of
complementary and alternative
therapies,” the position statement
said.
“This is primarily due to the
substantial gap between consumer
beliefs around complementary and
alternative therapies, and the
evidence supporting their safety
and effectiveness.
“While there is evidence to support
the use of some complementary
therapies, alternative therapies are
typically unproven or have been
shown to be ineffective.
“In some cases, use of
complementary and alternative
therapies can be harmful, as some
therapies may interact with
conventional medicines or with
each other,” the statement added.
As such, the Council said that
patients considering the use of
complementary or alternative
therapies should discuss this use
with their medical practitioner.
The Council made several
recommendations as part of its
position statement including a call
for the TGA to take a more active
role in warning consumers about
false claims made in relation to the
benefits of complementary and
alternative medicines.
The Council also recommended
that that the National Health &
Medical Research Council fund
further scientific studies to examine
the safety and efficacy of promising
and commonly used
complementary and alternative
cancer medicines, so that people
who have been diagnosed with
cancer and healthcare providers can
differentiate between those that
are not beneficial or are dangerous,
and those that may be beneficial.
In addition, the Council
recommended that healthcare
practitioners routinely talk to
cancer patients and survivors in a
non-judgmental manner about the
use of complementary and
alternative therapies; and also
encouraged patients who are
considering using non-conventional
therapies to make an informed
choice (including asking about the
efficacy, risks, contraindications and
cost of the therapy).
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