Fellowship trained in hematology and oncology, Dr. Matthew Taub helps patients to overcome cancer and achieve sustained pathways to wellness and recovery. Active with the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Dr. Matthew Taub follows advances and developments in his field.
Recently released, the second annual ASCO National Cancer Opinion Survey found that approximately 40 percent of respondents believe alternative medicine alone can effectively combat the disease.
Unfortunately, as ASCO emphasizes, alternative treatments such as vitamin regimens, oxygen therapy, and special diets don’t work on their own. Several studies have confirmed that compared to people who take their doctors’ recommendations, those who do not obtain evidence-based cancer treatment or undergo alternative therapies are 2.5 times likelier to die within a given time period. This results in part from a lack of data on alternative therapies. In addition, many alternative treatments have proven not to be beneficial to patients.
The ASCO survey, which spanned nearly 5,000 adults, further reveals that people between the ages of 18 and 37 are most likely to view alternative medicine as a standalone cancer solution, with those over age 72 the least likely to view it as such. With one-fifth of respondents having experienced cancer or currently living with the disease, only 22 percent of this cohort believe that alternative therapies take the place of standard care.
