New research suggests breast cancer patients who choose to fight their disease with complementary or alternative therapies are nearly 4 times more likely to die within 5 years.
A new study suggests breast cancer patients who turn to complementary or alternative therapies may face worse survival outcomes.
Researchers analyzed data from more than 2 million breast cancer patients across the U.S. The majority received traditional therapies including surgery, chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, or radiation.
When treatment outcomes were compared, patients who relied only on alternative approaches—like supplements, meditation or yoga, and acupuncture—had much lower survival… nearly four times the risk of dying within five years compared to those who received standard treatment.
Even patients who combined alternative therapies with standard medical care saw slightly worse outcomes, according to the results.
The senior author says, “There has been so much progress in traditional treatments, we were not surprised that patients who go without them have a far worse outcome.”
But he says the combination results were unexpected.
One reason could be those in the combo group were less likely to receive key treatments like radiation and hormone therapy.
Another potential factor: many didn’t tell their doctors they were using alternative treatments.
The authors say open communication is essential—so patients can fully understand the benefits and risks of every option. More research is needed to confirm these results.
Source: JAMA Network Open
Author Affiliations: Yale University School of Medicine
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