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Supportive Care in Cancer
Published in: Supportive Care in Cancer 7/2015

01-07-2015 | Original Article

The effect of complementary and alternative medicine on quality of life, depression, anxiety, and fatigue levels among cancer patients during active oncology treatment: phase II study

Authors: Gil Bar-Sela, Sara Danos, Bella Visel, Tanya Mashiach, Inbal Mitnik

Published in: Supportive Care in Cancer | Issue 7/2015

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Abstract

Background

During the past decade, there has been growing interest in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among cancer patients and it is being integrated more frequently within conventional cancer centers. The long-term effect of mind-body therapies on quality of life (QoL), depression, anxiety, and fatigue was tested prospectively in this study.

Patients and methods

Cancer patients who received six weekly sessions of CAM during their oncological treatments participated in the study. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) and QoL-EORTC-C30 were completed during the intervention and follow-up period.

Results

Over a two-year period, 163 patients entered the study, 135 of whom completed all six CAM sessions. An improvement was demonstrated in the median of BFI from 4.8 to 3.9 (p < 0.001), HADS-Anxiety from 8 to 7 (p < 0.001) and HADS-Depression from 7 to 6 (p < 0.001) after 12 weeks. In addition, the median of global QoL improved from 50 to 67 (p < 0.001), and a significant improvement was noticed in several parameters on the functioning and symptoms scales of the QoL-EORTC-C30.

Conclusion

Cancer patients who completed six weekly sessions of CAM improved significantly on measured outcomes, regardless of their demographic characteristics.
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Metadata
Title
The effect of complementary and alternative medicine on quality of life, depression, anxiety, and fatigue levels among cancer patients during active oncology treatment: phase II study
Authors
Gil Bar-Sela
Sara Danos
Bella Visel
Tanya Mashiach
Inbal Mitnik
Publication date
01-07-2015
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Supportive Care in Cancer / Issue 7/2015
Print ISSN: 0941-4355
Electronic ISSN: 1433-7339
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-014-2560-1

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