Use of Complementary & Alternative Therapies by Men in PCOS

Date Submitted: February 15, 2002

Objectives:

The 5 year survey included 2 questions on use of complementary/alternative therapies. Men were asked if they had used any of the following nutritional supplements: Vitamins E, D, or C, Selenium, Beta Carotene, Zinc, Saw Palmetto, Shark Cartilage, PC-Spes, or other supplements for their prostate cancer or its symptoms. They also were asked if they made specific changes in their diet (changed to a low fat diet, ate more tomatoes, ate more garlic, or ate more tofu). This paper will describe characteristics of men that are related to use of these therapies in terms of their age, race/ethnicity, education, income, type of therapy for prostate cancer, functional status, and overall satisfaction with their care. Variations by area within the U.S. will be examined.

Rationale:

Use of complementary and alternative therapies is becoming more widespread and is of particular interest to men with prostate cancer. Previous studies of the use of such therapies among prostate cancer cases have been based on small samples from selected facilities. The PCOS provides the opportunity to study the use of these therapies in a large population-based sample of cases.

Data:

The data on use of complementary and alternative therapies, functional status, and satisfaction with care will be obtained from the 5 year PCOS survey. Baseline demographic characteristics will be obtained from the 6 (or 12 month) surveys and information on clinical stage and therapies received will be obtained from the medical record abstract data.

Methods:

Using SAS and SUDAAN, weighted frequencies of the use of each of the specific types of supplements and dietary changes will be provided by age group, race/ethnicity, educational attainment, income, type of initial therapy, extent of disease, overall satisfaction with care and amount of bother with urinary, sexual, and bowel functioning. A combined variable will created to reflect any use of these therapies and a multivariate logistic regression model will be employed to examine the factors that are the strongest and independent predictors of use. Variations by region of the country will be examined.

Dissemination:

Results will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.

Target Schedule:

Analyses to begin: March 2002
First draft completed: May 2002
Draft submitted: August 2002

Collaborators:

Ann S. Hamilton (lead), and other interested PCOS investigators

Contact Information:

Ann S. Hamilton
University of Southern California
Keck School of Medicine
1540 Alcazar St. Suite 236
Los Angeles, CA 90033

Phone: 323-865-0434
E-mail: ahamilt@usc.edu

<< Previous Project | Next Project >>