Alternative and Complementary Therapies for Cancer

Cancer is a common disease with a devastating impact on the physical and psychological well being of patients. The diagnosis of cancer brings upon many clinical challenges and questions for which clear and simple answers are not always provided by modern medicine. To date, only limited therapeutic options are available for patients with advanced cancer. The recent shift toward targeted therapies has improved substantially patient's survival, however, relapses are frequent and cure remains rare. This led patients and many health care managers to shift attention to the holistic approach of traditional medicine particularly preparations from herbal products to manage and alleviate the disease.



Typically, herbal preparations contain single or multiple plant ingredients, including a number of potential active components. Yet, they remain classified as food supplements and thus are exempt from regulations on quality control and proof of efficacy that govern standard pharmaceuticals. Clinical evidence for many preparations is often based on non-documented or anecdotal evidence. In consequence, several preparations with unproven efficacy are circulating in the market with the fear of interference with standard cancer therapies and/or severe toxicity that some can generate, in addition to the unjustified economical burden to patients. Despite inconsistent and conflicting clinical results single molecules have been isolated from herbal preparations and many are exploited to develop potential novel agents.



This has fostered the need to organize a set of timely, in-depth and up-to-date review covering the latest developments in alternative cancer management from a scientific and clinical perspective dedicated to the medical community and health care providers, as well as to patients and their families. This book brings the latest comprehensive cancer information and practical recommendations on the best documented practice of alternative