MedWire News: The use of complementary therapies is common among UK men with prostate cancer, but many do not let their doctors know that they are using such therapies, potentially increasing the risk of dangerous interactions with traditional medications, say researchers.

"The popularity of complementary therapies has grown considerably in Western societies over the last decade," explain Dr Susie Wilkinson, from the Royal Free and University College Medical School in London, UK, and team.

But they add: "Very little data is available on complementary therapy use in male cancer patients. As a result, the extent to which male cancer patients may be inadvertently using complementary therapies that interact with their conventional treatments is unknown."

To address this, the researchers surveyed nearly 300 UK men, aged an average of 70 years, with prostate cancer who were receiving outpatient treatment in a London teaching hospital.

The participants were asked about their use of complementary therapies and they also completed a questionnaire designed to assess their mental health.

The researchers found that 25% of the participants reported using complementary therapies, more than half of whom reported using three or more such therapies. The most commonly used complementary therapies were low-fat diets (48%), vitamin supplements (47%) and lycopene (30%) - a chemical in tomatoes that is thought to help prevent prostate cancer.

Mind/body and physical complementary therapies were used less commonly, but tended to be used for longer periods of time than the nutritional therapies.

There were no significant mental health differences between men who did and did not used complementary therapies, but users tended to be younger than non-users and were more likely to be receiving conservative management in the form of 'active surveillance'.

However, the researchers also found that 43% of men who were using complementary therapies had not informed their doctors that they were using such treatments.

Writing in the European Journal of Cancer Care, Dr Wilkinson and team comment; "Even though complementary therapy use is common, there appears to be a lack of information exchanged between patients and their doctors."

They add: "Clinicians need to be aware of the prevalence of complementary therapy use amongst patients with prostate cancer, considering the potential harm that could be caused by interactions with conventional treatments."