Herbs and natural products are increasingly used by cancer patients for pain management, but few studies have examined their integration within conventional cancer care. This study describes the characteristics, experiences, and perspectives of cancer patients who were prescribed a herbal topical analgesic for pain management.
Program evaluation of a pilot herbal dispensary at a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center.
Cancer patients who were prescribed the Tibetree Pain-Relieving Plaster (PRP) by an integrative medicine physician.
Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of patients were abstracted from medical records. Semi-structured phone interviews were conducted 1-2 weeks after PRP prescription to evaluate patient experiences with using PRP for pain. Interviews were analyzed using thematic content analysis.
From February 2019 to February 2020, 50 patients were prescribed PRP. Median age (range) was 63 years (21-86), 37 (74%) of patients were female, 14 (28%) were non-White, and 38 (76%) of patients were using oral analgesics. During interviews, the majority of patients reported that the PRP improved pain and health-related outcomes, was convenient to use, and addressed pain management needs that were not fulfilled by oral analgesics. However, a few patients described adverse experiences with PRP, including skin irritation.
Understanding patient experiences and perspectives is a critical step towards evidence-based integration of herbs and natural products into cancer pain management. Findings from this program evaluation will inform the design of a randomized clinical trial on the efficacy and safety of PRP for pain in patients with cancer.

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