Awareness and Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Korean Lung Cancer Patients.

Background Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has been frequently used and its use continues to increase in lung cancer patients, despite insufficient scientific evidence. We analyzed the current status of the awareness and use of CAM in Korean lung cancer patients. Methods This study was a prospective survey-based study performed at seven medical centers in South Korea between August 2019 and October 2019. The survey included general patient characteristics, and the awareness and use of CAM. We analyzed the differences in the clinical parameters between patients aware and not aware of CAM and between CAM non-users and users. Results A total of 434 patients were included in this study. Among them, 68.8% of the patients responded that they were aware of CAM, and 30.9% of the patients said they experienced CAM. In univariate analysis, patients aware of CAM were younger with poor performance status, patients with advanced-stage lung cancer, those who received more systemic therapy, and those who received CCRT. By multiple logistic regression, younger age, poor performance status, advanced stage, and prior CCRT were independent risk factors for CAM awareness. There were no significant differences in the general characteristics and cancer-associated clinical parameters between CAM non-users and users. Conclusions More lung cancer patients with younger age, poor performance status, advanced stage, and prior CCRT were aware of CAM. There were no significantly different characteristics between CAM users and non-users.