One of the normal responses to being diagnosed with cancer or being told that your child has a cancer diagnosis is to want to ensure that your child receives the best possible treatment. All conventional cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, have to go through rigorous testing by law in order to prove that they work. All children and young people diagnosed with cancer in the UK are treated according to national and international clinical trials or clinical guidelines. New therapies and potential cancer treatments must be compared against accepted and proven ones so that we can be sure of their benefit. The best way to do this is in a clinical trial. This is how conventional cancer treatments are tested. People sometimes consider using complementary or alternative therapies alongside or instead of conventional cancer treatment.

A complementary therapy is one that is used alongside conventional medical treatment and is given with the aim of helping people cope better with a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Some complementary therapies can be beneficial; examples include massage, yoga and aromatherapy. Some complementary therapies such as herbal medicines can interact with conventional cancer treatments and can be harmful.

An alternative therapy is one that is used instead of conventional medical treatment. There is no scientific or medical evidence to show that alternative therapies can cure cancer. Some alternative therapies are unsafe and can cause harmful side effects. Or they may interact with your conventional medical treatment. This could increase the risk of harmful side effects or may stop the conventional treatment working so well.

There is a common view that medicines derived directly from plants are less harmful than chemically manufactured. Plant-derived chemicals can be very powerful; indeed many of our conventional chemotherapy drugs were originally extracted directly from nature. On the other hand we also know that many plants are poisonous if consumed. It is important that we know about any medications, herbal or not, that you are considering giving to your child, so that any risks or additional effects can be considered. It is also important to be aware that some plant substances currently being recommended as complementary therapy for cancer may contain illegal substances and we are not able to support the use of these.

Please talk to your named consultant, your Paediatric Oncology Outreach Nurse/Macmillan nurse or any of the ward doctors or nurses if you're considering using any complementary or alternative therapies. We are always happy to discuss treatment options and will advise you as to which therapies may be beneficial and which are likely to be harmful.

For more information also see;

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/treatment/complementary-alternative-therapies

https://www.cclg.org.uk/palliative-care/general-care/alternative-and-complementary-therapies