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Traditional and complementary and alternative medicines make for unwilling bedfellows in the management of cancer: a case report with a tragic outcome

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 August 2011

A Trinidade ,
M Shakeel ,
D Hurman  and
A Hussain
A Trinidade
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, UK
M Shakeel*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, UK
D Hurman
Affiliation:
Department of Oncology, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, UK
A Hussain
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Dr M Shakeel, SpR Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Ward 45, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZN, Scotland, UK Fax: +44 (0)1224 554569 E-mail: drshakeel@doctors.org.uk
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Abstract

Background:

Complementary and alternative medicine is very much in the public arena as a treatment option. The pharmacodynamics of most complementary and alternative medicines are not well understood, and some can lead to significant adverse drug interactions. This report aims to present the case of a cancer patient who abandoned traditional medicine in favour of complementary and alternative medicine.

Method:

Case report.

Results:

The patient refused potentially curative adjuvant radiotherapy for his oral cavity carcinoma following surgery, and eventually succumbed to disease.

Conclusion:

Recently, there appears to be much public awareness of and empathy for complementary and alternative medicine. Healthcare professionals should be aware of such therapies so that they can advise their patients in an informed manner. The role of such therapies in benign conditions may not be as critical as that in malignancy, where life-saving conventional treatment may be abandoned in favour of complementary and alternative medicine, with consequent loss of life.

Keywords

Spiritual TherapiesTongueCarcinoma
Type
Clinical Records
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 125 , Issue 11 , November 2011 , pp. 1193 - 1195
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2011

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