{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T15:49:48Z","timestamp":1790178588416,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,30]],"date-time":"2022-01-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1643500800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is common amongst cancer patients. The aim of the study was to investigate the use of CAM, beliefs about CAM and the purpose of using it amongst Polish cancer patients. Methods: The study included 864 cancer patients (median 63 years old), who were individually interviewed. The questionnaire was designed specifically for this study. Results: Amongst 732 patients who declared that they heard about CAM, 342 patients (46.7%) had used CAM; 91% of these patients had used it as a complementary therapy and 9% had used it as an alternative therapy. Patients younger in age, highly educated, professionally active, with longer medical history, and at more advanced cancer stages have, statistically, used CAM more often; 66% of participants could not state what the health effect of CAM is. Patients received information about CAM from the internet, friends, family and other patients. Only 18% of patients discussed using CAM with a doctor. Conclusions: CAM was popular amongst Polish cancer patients, especially in younger, educated and professionally active patients with longer cancer history at advanced stage. Patients used CAM as a complementary therapy for strengthening immune system, improving morphological and biochemical test parameters, reducing the side effects of conventional therapy and improving their well-being.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19031600","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,31]],"date-time":"2022-01-31T01:46:08Z","timestamp":1643593568000},"page":"1600","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":27,"title":["Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Hospitalized Cancer Patients\u2014Study from Silesia, Poland"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Karolina","family":"Kasprzycka","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy and Affiliated Student Science Club, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. Ceglana 35, 40-514 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marta","family":"Kurzawa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy and Affiliated Student Science Club, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. Ceglana 35, 40-514 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Malgorzata","family":"Kucharz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy and Affiliated Student Science Club, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. Ceglana 35, 40-514 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Monika","family":"Godawska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy and Affiliated Student Science Club, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. Ceglana 35, 40-514 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2218-6718","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marta","family":"Oleksa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy and Affiliated Student Science Club, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. Ceglana 35, 40-514 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marta","family":"Stawowy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy and Affiliated Student Science Club, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. Ceglana 35, 40-514 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Katarzyna","family":"Slupinska-Borowka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy and Affiliated Student Science Club, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. Ceglana 35, 40-514 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1547-7368","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wiktoria","family":"Sznek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy and Affiliated Student Science Club, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. Ceglana 35, 40-514 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6320-0224","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Iwona","family":"Gisterek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy and Affiliated Student Science Club, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. Ceglana 35, 40-514 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Agnieszka","family":"Boratyn-Nowicka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Katowice School of Technology, University of Technology in Katowice, ul. Rolna 43, 40-555 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1975-0624","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Monika","family":"Rucinska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncology, Collegium Medicum, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-228 Olsztyn, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8931-9576","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Karolina","family":"Osowiecka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology and Sociology of Health and Public Health, School of Public Health, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 11-041 Olsztyn, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6225-6528","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sergiusz","family":"Nawrocki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy and Affiliated Student Science Club, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. Ceglana 35, 40-514 Katowice, Poland"},{"name":"Department of Oncology, Collegium Medicum, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-228 Olsztyn, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"(2018, January 01). 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