Socio-demographic and medical correlates of the use of biologically based complementary and alternative medicines amongst recent Australian cancer survivors

Objective: Describe the socio-demographic/medical correlates of the use of biologically based complementary and alternative medicines (BBCAM) amongst a heterogeneous sample of recent cancer survivors. Method: Cross-sectional analysis was undertaken on the baseline data of a population-based longitudinal study conducted in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia (2006–2008) of cancer survivors 6 months post diagnosis. Participants (n = 1323) completed a self-report survey assessing socio-demographic/medical characteristics and use of BBCAM (dietary supplements or vitamins, herbal treatments, and special diets). Results: Twenty-seven percent of respondents (n = 349) reported using at least one BBCAM to help manage their cancer and related symptoms. Nutritional supplements and vitamins were the most commonly reported BBCAM (23%). Correlates of BBCAM use included cancer type (bowel [OR = 3.3; CI:1.8–5.9], breast [OR = 2.4; CI:1.4–4.1], head and neck [OR = 3.8; CI: 2.0–7.2], haematological [OR = 2.0; CI: 1.1–3.7], prostate [OR = 1.8; CI: 1.0–3.9] versus melanoma), education level (university degree [OR = 1.6; CI:1.1–2.3] versus secondary school) and treatment types (chemotherapy [OR = 2.0; CI:1.4–2.7] versus not, bone marrow/stem cell transplant/immunotherapy [OR = 2.3; CI:1.2–4.4] versus not). Conclusion: Providers should openly discuss the use of complementary and alternative therapies with all cancer patients, and given potential safety concerns, be proactive in exploring BBCAM use among the subgroups of survivors identified in this study.