An analysis was carried out of year 2000 claims data from two large Washington State insurance companies. Of 357 709 claimants, 7915 (2.3%) had a cancer diagnosis. Among cancer patients, 7.1% had a claim for naturopathy, acupuncture or massage, and 11.6% had a claim for chiropractic during the study year. The use of naturopathy and acupuncture were more common, and the use of chiropractic was less common for cancer patients compared with those without cancer. No significant differences were noted in the use of massage between the two groups. Except in two individuals (0.03%), cancer patients also had at least one conventional provider claim during the year. Factors associated with non-chiropractic alternative provider use were female gender, the presence of metastatic cancer, hematologic malignancy and the use of chemotherapy. Increased use of naturopathic physicians accounted for much of this trend. Musculoskeletal pain was the most common diagnosis at the CAM provider visit. Billed amounts for alternative services were < 2% of the overall medical bills for cancer patients.