Abstract
The use of complementary and alternative medicine is gaining popularity worldwide. Cancer patients are major consumers of natural health products for a variety of reasons; the most common is to build the body’s defense by augmenting the immune system. Various species of mushrooms have been studied for decades because of their alleged immuno-stimulating properties. Active substances from more than fifty species of mushrooms have been isolated and found to have such properties. Of these, polysaccharide-K and polysaccharide-peptide, extracted from the mushroom Coriolus versicolor (CV), have been more systematically investigated in human cancer research. CV extracts are extremely popular in certain ethnic communities with a long tradition of employing healing practices that are unconventional in nature compared with western medicine approaches. Cancer patients are using CV extracts as part of their adjunctive cancer therapy. Cancer specialists and allied health care professionals may not be fully aware of such a choice especially when patients do not disclose the information. As communities in North America are becoming more culturally diverse, the rise in the use of natural health products is most likely inevitable. Better understanding of some popular natural health products and the reasons behind their use may foster communication between patient and health care provider and is crucial in helping patients address their needs and concerns in the hope of optimizing cancer care. Exploring the mechanism of CV extracts, their safety, risks and possible benefits is one step toward these goals.