What Do YouTube Comments on Alternative Cancer Treatment Videos Tell Us: A Phenomenological Analysis

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to explore the perceived experiences and self-reported narratives of individuals identifying as cancer patients or caregivers regarding the use of complementary and alternative medicine in cancer care by analyzing comments on Turkish-language YouTube videos. METHODS: A qualitative approach using Colaizzi's descriptive phenomenological method was employed. Data were retrieved from YouTube using MAXQDA-24 software between June and July 2025. The sample consisted of 1,724 primary comments from 13 purposively selected videos. RESULTS: The analysis revealed five main themes: Despair (56.96%), Anger (16.59%), Hope (14.96%), Need for Information (5.97%), and Spirituality (5.51%). Key findings indicate that commenters experience significant mistrust toward conventional systems, treatment anxiety, financial loss, and a profound need for spiritual and psychosocial support. CONCLUSIONS: As the first qualitative study of its kind in the Turkish context, this research highlights that digital complementary and alternative medicine seeking is often a coping mechanism for emotional distress. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Nurses can use these insights to enhance trust-based communication, provide effective counseling on digital health literacy, and integrate psychosocial and spiritual support into routine cancer care.