Developing CAMEO (CAM Evidence Online) for cancer

Objective

The objectives of this study were: to carry out a detailed review and critical appraisal of the published research on specific complementary therapies in the management of cancer patients; to integrate evidence from well-designed trials and systematic reviews with patients’ perspectives gained from qualitative studies; to make this information available to healthcare professionals, researchers and the public via the internet.

Materials and methods

The overall project (NHS Priorities Project) concentrates on those therapies recognised in the House of Lords Select Committee report, those that patients frequently request and those that may be used in self-management programmes. For the cancer area these include acupuncture, homoeopathy, medical herbalism, hypnotherapy, reflexology, massage and aromatherapy, meditation and yoga, and relaxation techniques. The focus is primarily on symptom control in cancer patients. The steps involved in the review were:

• a comprehensive search of electronic databases and other sources
• filtering articles and categorising according to the study design
• appraisal of basic research methodology of relevant articles
• selection of articles for clinical commentaries by cancer and CAM specialists
• production of a review of the topic to be available via the internet.

Results/Conclusion

A series of reviews and summaries of the evidence will be available on the web. The CAMEO database will provide access to brief summaries of the research on the topic and tables of studies, including methodological appraisal, clinical comments and links to relevant evidence.

Acknowledgements

The NHS Priorities Project is funded by a grant from the Department of Health. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Health.