It is important to first discuss all treatment options with your doctor before beginning any therapy, including complementary or alternative medicine (CAM).

The confusion that is often felt by people newly diagnosed with cancer may send some seeking answers in the direction of CAM (nonconventional treatment). Learning to evaluate the relevance of a CAM approach, in collaboration with your doctor, is important. Some CAM therapies have research supporting their safety and effectiveness. However, other treatments are ineffective and may even cause harm.

The following questions may help you to gather the information you need about a CAM therapy. Be sure to discuss the answers to these questions with your doctors before starting any CAM therapy.

• What is the treatment supposed to do? Does it work in combination with a standard therapy, or would it replace it?
  
  
• Is the treatment safe? Is there research proving its safety?
  
  
• Is the treatment effective? Has research to support the treatment's effectiveness been published in peer-reviewed medical journals? (Do research to find out who is recommending this CAM therapy. If there are only anecdotal claims (people's personal observations) and not solid scientific research, the treatment probably does not treat cancer.)
  
  
• Is it possible to have a reaction to or side effects from this CAM therapy?
  
  
• If the therapy is used instead of a conventional treatment or clinical trial, will it delay the standard treatment? Could this delay be harmful? How does this therapy affect the chances of being effectively treated later?
  
  
• Is the treatment being promoted only on the Internet or in paid advertisements? (If you only see it advertised in mass media rather than referred to in scientific literature, it is unlikely to help treat cancer.)
  
  
• Does the treatment promise a cure for all cancers? (If so, it is probably worthless. There are more than 100 different types of cancer, and they respond differently to different types of treatments.)
  
  
• Is there a clinical trial on this CAM therapy that I can participate in? (For more information, visit Cancer.Net's CAM and Clinical Trials section.

Other things to consider include:

• The word "natural" does not guarantee "safe." For example, poisonous mushrooms are natural, but not safe. Additionally, it is possible to have toxic reactions to natural products — even those that are safe — particularly if they are taken in large doses.
  
  
• Before giving a dietary or herbal supplement to a child, discuss this with his or her pediatric oncologist. A child's body uses drugs and nutrients differently and requires different doses than an adult's body.

More Information

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Additional Resources

National Cancer Institute: Thinking About Complementary and Alternative Medicine

National Institute of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM): Are You Considering Using CAM?

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: FAQs on Botanicals and Other Products