Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Gynecologic Cancers

Nowadays, the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is becoming widespread gradually in cancer patients. The use of CAM in gynecological cancers is particularly notable. the use of CAM is influenced by factors such as age, education, application of chemotherapy and advanced stage of cancer, in addition to being a female. Gynecologic cancer patients apply CAM for reducing side effects of medical treatment, supporting treatment, increasing quality of life, strengthening immune system and preventing cancer re-occurrence.Although there are many CAM techniques, in the United States, the National Institutes of Health reduced these to two basic groups as "natural products" and "body and mind practices". In patients with gynecologic cancer, the use of CAM, especially of plant-derived natural products, in combination with medical treatment, may cause drug interactions and toxicity. At the same time, many women who use CAT do not report their use of such methods to the health team. For this reason, health professionals working with cancer patients should interrogate the use of CAT in detail, and have knowledge to provide guidance on this issue