1Gastroentero-Hepatology Division Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Soetomo Teaching Hospital, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, 60286, Indonesia
2Helicobacter Pylori and Microbiota Study Group, Institute of Tropical Disease, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, 60115, Indonesia
3Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surabaya, Surabaya, 60113, Indonesia
4Department of Environmental and Preventive Medicine, Oita UniversityFaculty of Medicine, Yufu, 879-5593, Japan
5Department of Medicine, Gastroenterology and Hepatology Section, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX77030, USA
*Corresponding Author E-mail: muhammad-m@fk.unair.ac.id
Online Published on 12 October, 2023.
Colorectal cancer patients have been experiencing various side effects related to the therapies, both physically and physiologically. Complementary medicine was used to help patients alleviate complaints and increase their quality of life. This systematic review aimed to sort out complementary medicines that could be advised to be used for colorectal cancer patients. Search limitations include the population of colorectal cancer patients, published between 2015 and 2021 and written in English. We found that traditional Chinese medicine, aromatherapy massage, acupuncture, and mindfulness-based stress reduction tests were beneficial in improving patients’ physical and physiological complaints. However, dosing and herb-herb interactions in Chinese traditional medicine and the beneficial persistency effect of other modalities needed further investigation, especially in colorectal cancer patient therapy. Complementary modalities are generally safe; however, some therapies still warrant further investigation to confirm safety and beneficial consistency.
Cancer, Colorectal cancer, Therapy, Medicin
