The role of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine in cancer care in the Philippines
Ma. Veronica Pia N. Arevalo, Janine Patricia G Robredo, Sary Valenzuela, Frances Dominique V. Ho, Nicole Rose I. Alberto, Isabelle Rose I. Alberto, Madeleine Nicole G. Bernardo, Katherine Donatela Manlongat, Ann Meredith U. Garcia, Jaime Z. Galvez Tan, Edward Christopher Dee, Michelle Ann B Eala
Abstract
Around 40% of patients with cancer in some Western countries (1) to over 80% of patients in some Asian countries (2) use traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine (TCAM). Its increasing popularity has sustained global efforts to integrate TCAM into national healthcare systems, and integrative oncology-the use of TCAM alongside conventional cancer therapies-is a field born from this movement. Integrative oncology, however, remains elusive for most patients in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), where many seek TCAM despite concerns about regulation, safety, and financial toxicity (3). Given this steady patronage amongst patients with cancer, there is a need to examine socio-cultural drivers of TCAM use vis--vis the landscape of health systems in LMICs. We write from the Philippines, a lower-middle income country in Southeast Asia, where cancer is the fourth leading cause of death (4) and where TCAM remains popular among patients and families dealing with cancer.