Cancer and Phytotherapy

Abstract

The incidence of cancer is increasing in the world and in Turkey, but the survival rate of patients is prolonged due to early diagnosis and treatment opportunities. Cancer patients resort to traditional and complementary medicine (GETAT) methods as well as conventional medicine in treatment. In the literature, it has been seen that cancer patients commonly use phytotherapy among GETAT methods. In this review, 16 of the phytotherapy methods (nettle, pomegranate, green tea, thyme, garlic, flaxseed, sage, linden, grape seed, turmeric, black mulberry, ginger, chamomile, black cumin, ginseng, echinacea) used by cancer patients were examined. Considering the prevalence of phytotherapy use among cancer patients and the potential interactions of phytotherapy with drugs used in conventional treatment, it can be recommended that healthcare professionals be aware of this issue and inform cancer patients about the potential benefits and harms of phytotherapy.

Keywords

• Cancer
• Traditional and Complementary Medicine
• Phytotherapy.

Kanser ve Fitoterapi

Abstract

Dünyada ve Türkiye'de kanser görülme sıklığı artmaktadır fakat erken teşhis ve tedavi olanakları nedeniyle hastaların hayatta kalma oranı uzamaktadır. Kanser hastaları tedavide, konvansiyonel tıbbın yanı sıra geleneksel ve tamamlayıcı tıp (GETAT) yöntemlerine de başvurmaktadır. Literatürde kanser hastalarının GETAT yöntemleri içerisinde fitoterapiyi yaygın kullandıkları görülmüştür. Bu derlemede kanser hastalarının kullandıkları fitoterapi yöntemlerinden 16’sı (ısırgan otu, nar, yeşil çay, kekik, sarımsak, keten tohumu, adaçayı, ıhlamur, üzüm çekirdeği, zerdeçal, karadut, zencefil, papatya, çörek otu, ginseng, ekinezya) incelenmiştir. Kanser hastaları arasında fitoterapi kullanımının yaygınlığı ve fitoterapinin konvansiyonel tedavide kullanılan ilaçlarla potansiyel etkileşimleri göz önüne alındığında, sağlık profesyonellerinin bu konunun farkında olmaları ve kanser hastalarının fitoterapinin potansiyel fayda ve zararları hakkında bilgilendirilmesi önerilebilinir.

Keywords

• Kanser
• Geleneksel ve Tamamlayıcı Tıp
• Fitoterapi.

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