Cancer : the sole remedy of the alternative decreases the chances of survival

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Published the 19.08.2017 at 12: 11

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Medicinal plants, yoga, naturopathy, acunpunture… If alternative remedies have been proven to work in many areas, they would not increase the chances of surviving cancer without resorting to traditional treatments. These are the findings of a new study conducted by professors from Yale university and published in The Journal of The National Cancer Institute.

5 times higher risk for breast cancer

The study was conducted on 560 patients with cancer and treated with standard treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy. The researchers compared this group with another compound of 280 patients without metastasis who have preferred to turn to alternative medicine. At the end of the experience, doctors have identified an increased risk of death among those who have used only alternative methods.

These risks relate to three types of cancer. Breast cancer rates are recorded in the risk of death the strongest, with 5,68 more of a risk not to survive by not going than by alternative methods. Then came colon cancer and lung cancer, where the risks of dying are respectively quadrupled and doubled. One-third of patients pro-alternative medicine in patients with colorectal cancer was in life five years after diagnosis compared with 79% of those treated classically, according to the study.

The authors of these works, however, were not observed significant difference for the prostate cancer (86.2% survival in the pros-alternative medicine against 91,5% among those who opt for traditional treatment). According to the lead author of the study, Skyler Johnson, these results are due to the fact that cancer of the prostate usually develops very slowly in the beginning and over many years”. In addition, the researcher does not rule out the track of the surdiagnostics.

Results “under-estimated”

On average, the risk of cancer-related deaths would therefore be multiplied by 2.5, on average, depending on the type of cancer, conclude the researchers. But according to professor Johnson, these results would be under-estimated, if we take into account the profile of patients who participated in the study. “We do not know the exact number of people who decide to resort to an alternative medicine instead of conventional treatment against cancer,” admits the scientist, who noted a reluctance on the part of some patients to talk about the nature of the treatments to which they resort.

Without counting, he said to the Agence France-Presse, that some patients have started treating themselves with alternative methods before turning to conventional treatments to prevent the disease from progressing. If the latter were required to alternative medicine, the risk of death would have to be even more important. The researchers also indicate that patients in the group pro-alternative medicine were young, in good health, and had a better level of education and income than those of the other group.