Does use of alternative medicine delay treatment of head and neck cancer? A surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) cancer registry study.

BACKGROUND: The role of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in cancer treatment is controversial. The aim of the study was to assess whether CAM use was associated with a delay in the initiation of conventional cancer treatment for head and neck cancer. METHODS: CAM usage data were collected by mailed questionnaire for 149 incident head and neck cancer patients who were identified through the Metropolitan Detroit Cancer Surveillance System. Time from cancer diagnosis to the start of conventional cancer treatment was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Overall 79% of the subjects reported use of at least 1 of the CAM items asked in the questionnaire. The time to conventional cancer treatment did not differ by prior CAM use intended to treat cancer (p =.209). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present registry-based study do not suggest that alternative therapy use in patients with head and neck cancer delays conventional cancer treatment.