Today, several medical centers and cancer centers are combining standard therapy with a broad range of other treatments that are more commonly thought of as “complementary” or “alternative” medicine. This new type of care is called “integrative medicine,” which basically means it combines conventional cancer care and complementary therapies with the goal of improving quality of life and enhancing survival.

This approach, which strives to bring about disease remission while at the same time reducing symptoms and emotional distress, can be beneficial to some people with lung cancer and their caregivers. It is important to note, however, that there are no scientific data to date that prove that complementary therapy alone can cure disease. However, these therapies can be used effectively to control pain, relieve anxiety, and improve quality of life.

It is important to understand the differences between alternative, complementary and integrative therapy. It is also essential that, no matter what you explore, you share any new treatments or practices you may be considering with your physician. While many alternative therapies promise hope when conventional treatments fail, those same therapies could also be life-threatening or detrimental to your well-being.

Definitions Of Terms To Describe Cancer Treatments

The following definitions are taken directly from the American Cancer Society’s “Overview of Complementary and Alternative Therapies” on the Internet.

Standard or conventional treatment refers to mainstream medical treatments that have been tested following a strict set of guidelines and found to be safe and effective. The results of such studies have been published in peer reviewed journals, that is, journals reviewed by other doctors or scientists in the field. The Food and Drug Administration has approved treatments used in conventional medicine in the United States.

Investigational treatments are therapies being studied in a clinical trial. Clinical trials are research projects that determine whether a new treatment is effective and safe for patients. Before a drug or other treatment can be used regularly to treat patients, it is studied and tested carefully in laboratory tests and then in animals. After these studies are completed and the therapy is found safe and promising, it is tested to see if it helps patients. After careful testing with people shows that the drug or other treatment is safe and effective, the Food and Drug Administration may approve it for regular use. Only then does the treatment become part of the standard, mainstream collection of proven therapies used to treat disease in human beings.

Alternative therapy refers to treatments that might be promoted as cancer cures. They are unproven because they have not been scientifically tested, or were tested and found to be ineffective. They can include treatments that are often promoted by people outside of the medical field. If used instead of standard treatment, the patient may suffer either from lack of helpful treatment or because the alternative treatment is actually harmful.

The term unproven can be confusing because it is sometimes used to refer to treatments with little basis in scientific fact, while it may also refer to treatments or tests that are under investigation.

Complementary therapy refers to supportive methods that are used to complement, or add to, mainstream treatments. Examples might include meditation to reduce stress, peppermint tea for nausea, and acupuncture for chronic back pain. Complementary methods are not necessarily promoted to cure disease; rather they may control symptoms and improve quality of life and well-being.

Integrative therapy is a term that refers to the combined offering of conventional or mainstream and complementary therapies.

Quackery refers to the promotion of methods that claim to prevent, diagnose, or treat cancers that are known to be false, or which are unproven. Such promotions generally go beyond well-intended friendly advice or involve a fee, often a lot of money or encourage a donation.

Is Alternative Or Complementary Cancer Treatment Safe?

There are many complementary methods that can be used safely along with standard treatment to help relieve symptoms or side effects, ease pain, and enhance daily life. It is important to look carefully at the choices and to discuss them with your physician. The American Cancer Society suggests you consider the following questions and checklist in deciding whether to use methods outside of standard medical treatment:

Questions To Ask About Alternative and Complementary Therapies

• What claims are made for the treatment: Is the therapy to cure the cancer or to enable the standard treatment to work better? Is it to relieve symptoms or side effects?
• What are the credentials of those offering the treatment? Are they recognized experts in cancer treatment? Have they published their findings in trustworthy journals?
• How is the method promoted? Is it promoted only in the mass media (books, magazines, TV and radio talk shows) rather than in scientific journals?
• What costs are involved and are they covered by your insurance policy?

Signs Of Treatments To Avoid

Use the checklist below to spot those approaches that might be open to question. If you are not sure, talk to your doctor or nurse before moving ahead.

• Is the treatment based on an unproven theory?
• Does the treatment promise a cure for all cancers?
• Are you told not to use conventional medical treatment?
• Is the treatment or drug a “secret” that only certain providers can give?
• Does the treatment require you to travel to another country?
• Do the promoters attack the medical/scientific establishment?

National Center For Complementary And Alternative Medicine

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the National Institutes of Health, was created to provide information and conduct research and training on complementary and alternative medicine.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is defined as medical practices that are not commonly used, accepted, or available in conventional medicine, in contrast to those practices that fall mainly within the domains of conventional medicine. Some practices may be considered overlapping in that they can be either CAM or behavioral medicine, depending on their application.

The NCCAM has designed a system that classifies complementary and alternative medicine practices into five major categories. For more information on all of the practices listed, you can call the NCCAM toll free at 1-888-644-6226 or visit their website at http://nccam.nci.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/:

1. Alternative Medical Systems are built upon complete systems of theory and practice. Often, these systems have evolved apart from and earlier than the conventional medical approach used in the United States. Examples of alternative medical systems that have developed in Western cultures include homeopathic medicine and naturopathic medicine. Examples of systems that have developed in non-Western cultures include traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda.
2. Mind-Body Interventions use a variety of techniques designed to enhance the mind's capacity to affect bodily function and symptoms. Some techniques that were considered CAM in the past have become mainstream (for example, patient support groups and cognitive-behavioral therapy). Other mind-body techniques are still considered CAM, including meditation, prayer, mental healing, and therapies that use creative outlets such as art, music, or dance.
3. Biologically-Based Therapies use substances found in nature, such as herbs, foods, and vitamins. Some examples include dietary supplements, herbal products, and the use of other so-called natural but as yet scientifically unproven therapies (for example, using shark cartilage to treat cancer).
4. Manipulative and Body-Based Methods are based on manipulation and/or movement of one or more parts of the body. Some examples include chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation, and massage.
5. Energy Therapies involve the use of energy fields. They are of two types:
   Biofield therapies are intended to affect energy fields that purportedly surround and penetrate the human body. The existence of such fields has not yet been scientifically proven. Some forms of energy therapy manipulate biofields by applying pressure and/or manipulating the body by placing the hands in, or through, these fields. Examples include qi gong, Reiki, and Therapeutic Touch.
   Bioelectromagnetic -based therapies involve the unconventional use of electromagnetic fields, such as pulsed fields, magnetic fields, or alternating-current or direct-current fields.

DISCLAIMER
The NIH cautions users not to seek the therapies described without the consultation of a licensed health care provider. Inclusion of a treatment or resource does not imply endorsement by the NCCAM, the NIH, or the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

REFERENCES

1. Cassileth, Barrie R. The Alternative Medicine Handbook: The Complete Reference Guide to Alternative & Complementary Therapies. New York: WW Norton & Company, 1998.
2. Gordon, James S. Comprehensive Cancer Care: Integrating Alternative, Complementary, and Alternative Therapies. Persus Publishing, 2000.
3. What are the major types of complementary and alternative medicine?, a section of "What is Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)?" (NCCAM Publication No. D156, May, 2002, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.)
4. Quackwatch

For more information, visit the American Cancer Society’s “Overview of Complementary and Alternative Therapies.”