Hospital policies on complementary medicine : a cross-sectional survey of Australian cancer services

It has been reported that about 60% of patients commencing chemotherapy in Australia with curative intent and 47% of those receiving radiotherapy also use complementary medicine.1,2 Ingestible products are frequently used, but are often not discussed with the medical team, which increases the risk of interactions and other undesirable effects. Opportunity costs are another problem; while complementary medicine is typically used by people with cancer for supportive care and wellbeing, some use it to help treat cancer.