CAM information frontiers: role of a research officer at the Bristol Cancer Help Centre

The Bristol Cancer Help Centre (BCHC) is the UK’s leading holistic cancer charity and provides physical, emotional and spiritual support using complementary therapies, self-help techniques and practical advice on nutrition. The BCHC has recently appointed a research officer to communicate the most relevant and latest research about CAM to people with cancer. Alongside the librarian and helpline staff at the BCHC, the research officer is helping to build up a comprehensive information service for people with cancer and their supporters. One of the main outputs of the information service is information sheets, which are concise, easy-to-read summaries of research evidence for the effectiveness and safety of specific CAM therapies and treatments. One recent example of an important BCHC information sheet was in response to the Carctol media event in September 2004. This Ayurvedic herbal medicine had been advertised in the media as a potential alternative ‘cure for cancer’, however, no clinical trials to show its effects on cancer (and whether it was safe to take) have been conducted to date. Examples of other sheets completed are Comfrey, Essiac, Gerson, Laetrile, and coenzyme Q₁₀.

Acknowledgement

Work is funded by the Bristol Cancer Help Centre.