本研究為橫斷性調查(cross-sectional study),利用問卷配合面對面訪談收集資料,研究期間為2007年4月1日至7月31日,共訪談中部某醫學中心208位正接受化學治療或放射線治療病人使用輔助及另類醫療(Complementary and Alternative Medicine, CAM)相關情形,研究工具運用賴裕和發展的症狀困擾量表中文增修版(Symptom Distress Scale - Chinese modified version)及自擬問卷,資料譯碼後輸入電腦以SPSS 10.0 for Windows 中文版套裝軟體進行,卡方檢定及二元迴歸統計分析。研究發現,因化學治療或放射線治療引起的症狀困擾前三位依序是疲倦、食慾差及嘔心嘔吐。受訪者中有79.3%的人診斷癌症後接受化學治療及放射線治療同時使用CAM。使用型態以合併身心療法及營養劑補充最多,而使用動機以期望得到心理慰藉及增強免疫力為主。相關資訊來源主要由親友提供,66.1%的受訪者使用CAM並未告知醫護人員,有4位(1.9%)曾中斷西醫治療。是否有使用CAM與人口統計學、疾病及治療狀況均無統計上的顯著差異;使用身心療法類別者與生、心理症狀困擾之相關性較使用其他類別者為密切。建議醫療人員提供衛生教育時,應關懷病人是否因受到治療副作用、症狀所困擾,並注意是否有發生藥物、保健食品與中藥交互使用情形;察覺使用CAM的病人是否有中斷西醫治療導致危害健康的情況發生。 The current study used a cross-sectional survey design with face-to-face interviews conducted in 208 patients diagnosed with cancer at a hospital in Taichung city, Taiwan over the period April 1 to July 31, 2007. The objective of the study was to explore the association between the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The Symptom Distress Scale - Chinese modified version and a semi-structure questionnaire designed specifically for this study were used. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were conducted using SPSS ver. 10.0 for Windows (Chinese version). Results shown that the three most encountered symptoms were fatigue, loss of appetite, and nausea with vomiting. The prevalence of CAM use along with standard cancer therapies was 79.3 percent. Mind-body medicine and dietary supplements were the most commonly used CAM modalities. The main motivation for using CAM was to improve emotional well-being and to increase immunity. The source of CAM information came mainly from friends and family members. About 66% of the patients who used CAM did not inform their medical providers. Four patients (1.9%) had once discontinued their routine medical treatment. The use of CAM was not associated with the patients’ sociodemographic or clinical conditions. The use of mind-body medicine was associated with greater physiological symptom and psychological distress. Medical professionals are encouraged to pay attention to any side effects and distress symptoms caused by cancer therapy when providing health education to their patients. They should also take notice of any possible interactions between drugs, health foods, and traditional Chinese medicine. Furthermore, they should watch out for any improper discontinuation of cancer treatment in patients who are using CAM at the same time because of the detrimental effects on patients’ health.