Open AccessComplementary and Alternative Medicine Usage and Yoga Practice in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer
Author(s) -
Colette Worcester,
Chinmay Pandya
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
dev sanskriti : interdisciplinary international journal (online)/dev sanskriti : interdisciplinary international journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2582-4589
pISSN - 2279-0578
DOI - 10.36018/dsiij.v19i.240
Subject(s) - medicine , metastatic breast cancer , breast cancer , quality of life (healthcare) , alternative medicine , disease , cancer , radiation therapy , intensive care medicine , oncology , physical therapy , pathology , nursing
Metastatic breast cancer has a poor prognosis, and many patients practice yoga or use other complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in their healthcare. CAM has risks and benefits, and it will be useful to understand the role of CAM integrated with conventional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. Patients with metastatic cancer may respond differently to CAM than those without metastases, and less literature has addressed disease progression in this regard. This short review will attempt to address CAM usage in patients with breast cancer, focused on metastatic disease. The review will address some geographical and cultural differences in CAM usage, benefits of yoga for this patient population to improve quality of life, and highlight study limitations and implementation.