Abstract
The use of unorthodox (also termed “unconventional”, “alternative” or “unproven”) treatments among cancer patients is the subject of widespread and often heated debate. Proponents of unorthodox treatments argue that they offer patients the opportunity to participate actively in their fight against cancer, that they facilitate improved resistance, both physically and psychologically, to disease symptoms and conventional treatment side effects, and that they contribute to the control or even to the cure of the disease. Those opposed to unorthodox therapies are concerned that they give patients false hope and that they may, implicitly or explictly, encourage non-adherence to or outright rejection of conventional oncological treatments.
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© 1990 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Aaronson, N.K., Holland, J.C. (1990). Unorthodox Cancer Treatments. In: Holland, J.C., Zittoun, R. (eds) Psychosocial Aspects of Oncology. Monographs European School of Oncology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-46695-3_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-46695-3_14
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