Use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in patients with breast cancer

Abstract

Introduction: Breast cancer is the more common in women worldwide and the fifth leading cause of cancer death in general and the most frequent cause among women. Patients with breast cancer make use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM); however, few studies associate any changes in disease progression with the use of these practices. Aim: to assess the influence of the MAC in the treatment of breast cancer, in the development of the disease and quality of life of patients. Methods: A systematic review in PubMed and SciELO databases data with the keywords “medicine” , “alternative” , “complementary” , “cancer” , “breast” , “adverse events” and “chemotherapy” was performed and only articles published between the years 2010 and 2013, written in Portuguese, English and Spanish were considered. The search resulted in 21 references. After analyzing the titles and abstracts, 06 articles were separated and included in the final work. Results: It was found that the MAC is composed of several practices with techniques and peculiar principles, which are at different stages of maturity in knowledge and scientific assertion. Conclusion: despite not being able to replace conventional medicine in the treatment of breast cancer, the MAC becomes a complementary treatment option for the symptoms of the usual therapeutic procedures resulting from treatment of this disease. However, further studies on the use of CAM in the treatment of breast cancer are needed to foster the evolution of practices for the quality of life of patients.