PURPOSE: To determine patient's use of alternative cancer therapies, as well as the characteristics of the patients who used these therapies, descriptive study was conducted at the one college hospital in Seoul. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of 950 eligible patients who discharged from October 1, 1996 to Febrary 28, 1997, 283 patients were completed semistructured questionnaire telephone survey finally(response rate is 29.8%). RESULTS: Alternative therapies were used by 53.0% of patients. The preferred was dietary therapies and oriental(herbs, acupucture) therapies, folk therapies, drug therapies were other popular methods. Any patient characteristics except time prolongation after diagnosis were not associated with use of alternative therapies. The patients were seeking for alternative therapy because they thought conventional medical treatments were not enough to expect to improve their health, The major source of information was relatives and friends, not the mass media. 46.6% of the patients used althenative therapy said that it were not effective but 30.4% of them said it would help to slow the progression of their disease or strengthen their resistance. 45.0% of them were satisfied with it. CONCLUSION: A significant proportion of cancer patients use one or more forms of alternative therapy. The physicians should recognize and give due consideration to the patients underlying desire for better control of his disease, and should be able to advise his patients on the use of alternative therapy.
Complementary Therapies* ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Friends ; Humans ; Mass Media ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Seoul ; Telephone

OBJECTIVE: To synthesize mesoporous silica-core-shell magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) encapsulated by liposomes (Lipo [MNP@m-SiO2]) in order to enhance their stability, allow them to be used in any buffer solution, and to produce trastuzumab-conjugated (Lipo[MNP@m-SiO2]-Her2Ab) nanoparticles to be utilized in vitro for the targeting of breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The physiochemical characteristics of Lipo[MNP@m-SiO2] were assessed in terms of size, morphological features, and in vitro safety. The multimodal imaging properties of the organic dye incorporated into Lipo[MNP@m-SiO2] were assessed with both in vitro fluorescence and MR imaging. The specific targeting ability of trastuzumab (Her2/neu antibody, Herceptin(R))-conjugated Lipo[MNP@m-SiO2] for Her2/neu-positive breast cancer cells was also evaluated with fluorescence and MR imaging. RESULTS: We obtained uniformly-sized and evenly distributed Lipo[MNP@m-SiO2] that demonstrated biological stability, while not disrupting cell viability. Her2/neu-positive breast cancer cell targeting by trastuzumab-conjugated Lipo[MNP@m-SiO2] was observed by in vitro fluorescence and MR imaging. CONCLUSION: Trastuzumab-conjugated Lipo[MNP@m-SiO2] is a potential treatment tool for targeted drug delivery in Her2/neu-positive breast cancer.
3T3 Cells ; Animals ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/*administration & dosage ; Antineoplastic Agents/*administration & dosage ; Breast Neoplasms/chemistry/*drug therapy ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Drug Delivery Systems/methods ; Female ; Ferric Compounds/chemistry ; Humans ; Liposomes ; Magnetite Nanoparticles/administration & dosage/*chemistry ; Mice ; Molecular Targeted Therapy/methods ; Nanoconjugates/administration & dosage/*chemistry ; Nanoparticles/chemistry ; *Receptor, erbB-2/immunology ; Silicon Dioxide/administration & dosage/*chemical synthesis/chemistry