Patients with
cancer commonly use complementary and integrative medicine, including
homeopathy.
Homeopathy has grown in popularity with the public but is viewed with skepticism by medical academia and is still excluded from conventionally prescribed treatments. In recent years,
homeopathy has been used in
cancer care in Europe and other countries worldwide. This use raised the question if there is any benefit in utilizing this type of care with
cancer patients. The purpose of this manuscript is to explore the evidence related to the benefit of
homeopathy in
cancer care. Limited research has suggested that
homeopathic remedies appear to cause cellular changes in some
cancer cells. In animal models, several
homeopathic remedies have had an inhibitory effect on certain
tumor development. Some clinical studies of
homeopathic remedies combined with conventional care have shown that
homeopathic remedies improve quality of life, reduce symptom burden, and possibly improve survival in patients with
cancer. The findings from several lab and clinical studies suggest that
homeopathy might have some beneficial effect in
cancer care; however, further large, comprehensive clinical studies are needed to determine these beneficial effects. Although additional studies are needed to confirm these findings, given the low cost, minimal risks, and the potential magnitude of
homeopathy's effects, this use might be considered in certain situations as an additional tool to integrate into
cancer care.