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01-10-2016 | Original Article

Quality of life-related outcomes from a patient-tailored integrative medicine program: experience of Russian-speaking patients with cancer in Israel

Authors: Ilanit Shalom Sharabi, Anna Levin, Elad Schiff, Noah Samuels, Olga Agour, Yehudith Tapiro, Efraim Lev, Lital Keinan-Boker, Eran Ben-Arye

Published in: Supportive Care in Cancer | Issue 10/2016

Abstract

Objective

Complementary/integrative medicine (CIM) is increasingly being integrated with standard supportive cancer care. The effects of CIM on quality of life (QOL) during chemotherapy need to be examined in varied socio-cultural settings. We purpose to explore the impact of CIM on QOL-related outcomes among Russian-speaking (RS) patients with cancer.

Patients and methods

RS patients undergoing chemotherapy receiving standard supportive care were eligible. Patients in the treatment arm were seen by an integrative physician (IP) and treated within a patient-tailored CIM program. Symptoms and QOL were assessed at baseline, at 6, and at 12 weeks with the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS), the Measure Yourself Concerns and Wellbeing (MYCAW) questionnaire, and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30).

Results

Of 70 patients referred to the treatment arm, 50 (71.4 %) underwent IP assessment and CIM treatments. Of 51 referred to the control arm, 38 (76 %) agreed to participate. At 6 weeks, CIM-treated patients reported improved ESAS scores for fatigue (P = 0.01), depression (P = 0.048), appetite (P = 0.008), sleep (P < 0.0001), and general wellbeing (P = 0.004). No improvement was observed among controls. Between-group analysis found CIM-treated patients had improved sleep scores on ESAS (P = 0.019) and EORTC (P = 0.007) at 6 weeks. Social functioning improved between 6 and 12 weeks (EORTC, P = 0.02), and global health status/QOL scale from baseline to 12 weeks (EORTC, P = 0.007).

Conclusion

A patient-tailored CIM treatment program may improve QOL-related outcomes among RS patients undergoing chemotherapy. Integrating CIM in conventional supportive care needs to address cross-cultural aspects of care.

Trial registration

The study protocol was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01860365).

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Title: Quality of life-related outcomes from a patient-tailored integrative medicine program: experience of Russian-speaking patients with cancer in Israel
Authors: Ilanit Shalom Sharabi
Anna Levin
Elad Schiff
Noah Samuels
Olga Agour
Yehudith Tapiro
Efraim Lev
Lital Keinan-Boker
Eran Ben-Arye
Publication date: 01-10-2016
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: Supportive Care in Cancer / Issue 10/2016
Print ISSN: 0941-4355
Electronic ISSN: 1433-7339
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3274-3

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