Complementary and alternative therapies in individual treatment decisions in gynecological cancer care – protocol for a systematic review

Abstract

Abstract. Objective: More than half of patients with breast and gynecological cancers use complementary or alternative medicine (CAM). Yet there is a mismatch between the most frequently used CAM methods and the research questions in published reviews. The aim of our systematic review will be to close this gap. Material and methods: The review will collect all evidence concerning CAM for adult female patients with gynecological cancers. Control interventions will be all therapy options at the particular treatment stage. All outcomes chosen in the included studies will be discussed concerning their clinical relevance and their relevance to the patient. The review will consider both experimental and epidemiological study designs including randomized controlled trials, non-randomized controlled trials, prospective and retrospective cohort studies, case control studies, case series and (especially for rare adverse events) case studies as appropriate for inclusion. Results: An initial search for published systematic reviews was conducted in three review databases. Several reviews exist on particular methods for breast cancer or CAM interventions for cancer in general. The influences of potential individual modifiers of intervention effectiveness (e.g., age, gender, sociocultural background, disease stage, cancer type, treatment step, symptoms, resources) were not sufficiently analyzed so far. Our research will be continued and will be summarized narratively, and a meta-analysis will be performed, if possible. Conclusion: The effectiveness, efficacy, and safety of CAM treatments in the therapy of gynecological cancers have not yet been sufficiently evaluated. By summarizing and synthesizing available data, this review will help inform physicians and other healthcare professionals on the benefits and risks of CAM for patients with gynecological cancer. It will also clarify areas for further research. Another desirable evaluation outcome is the provision of data which helps to tailor the individual treatment plan to the patient’s history, preferences, wishes and resources.