PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the use of non-conventional medicine (NCM) in a representative sample of French @entity1 2  years after @entity5 diagnosis. METHODS: The study was based on data obtained in the VICAN survey (2012) on a representative sample of 4349 @entity1 2  years after @entity5 diagnosis. Self-reported data were collected at telephone interviews with @entity1 . The questionnaire addressed the various types of non-conventional treatments used at the time of the survey. RESULTS: Among the @entity1 , 16.4% reported that they used NCM, and 45.3% of this group had not used NCM before @entity5 diagnosis (new NCM users). Commonly, NCMs used were homeopathy (64.0%), acupuncture (22.1%), osteopathy (15.1%), herbal medicine (8.1%), diets (7.3%) and energy therapies (5.8%). NCM use was found to be significantly associated with younger age, female gender and a higher education level. Previous NCM use was significantly associated with having a managerial occupation and an expected 5-year survival rate >= 80% at diagnosis; recent NCM use was associated with @entity5 progression since diagnosis, impaired quality of life and @entity158 reports. CONCLUSION: This is the first study on NCM use 2  years after @entity5 diagnosis in France. In nearly half of the NCM users, @entity5 diagnosis was one of the main factors which incited @entity1 to use NCM. Apart from the NCM users' socioeconomic profile, the present results show that @entity73 was a decisive factor: opting for unconventional approaches was therefore a pragmatic response to needs which conventional medicine fails to meet during the course of the disease. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Better information of @entity1 and caregivers is needed to allow access to these therapies to a larger population of survivors.

Use of non-conventional medicine two years after XXXX diagnosis in France: evidence from the VICAN survey.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['participants', 'patients'] @entity73 :: ('MESH:D003072', 'Disease') :: ['impaired health'] @entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['cancer'] @entity158 :: ('MESH:D010146', 'Disease') :: ['higher pain']
@entity5 :: (MESH:D009369,Disease) :: ['cancer']
