Integrative medicine use in patients with cutaneous T-Cell lymphoma: A cross-sectional survey study

Objectives: To characterize patterns of integrative medicine (IM) use and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). Design: Cross-sectional, online survey, created in conjunction with the Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation (CLF). Setting: A link to the online survey was posted on the CLF Facebook page and emailed to the CLF listserv; 372 survey responses were received. Main outcome measures: The study outcomes were IM use, cancer symptoms, and HRQoL measured via the Skindex-16 and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G). Results: A total of 292 patient responses (66 % female, median age 59y) were included in analysis. 87 % had mycosis fungoides and 12 % had Sézary syndrome. A majority (59 %) of patients reported using IM for their CTCL, with 48 % using IM to treat their disease and 47 % using IM to manage their symptoms. The most commonly used IM were vitamins/minerals (32 %), prayer/meditation (26 %), diet (24 %), and exercise/yoga (22 %). Higher itch scores were reported by patients using IM compared to non-users (31 (IQR 10–62) and 18 (IQR 3–46) respectively; p = 0.002). HRQoL was worse among patients who reported IM use; median Skindex-16 scores were 54 (IQR 28–72) among IM users compared to 33 (IQR 19–57) for non-IM users (p