ArticleBMC complementary and alternative medicine2015
Complementary and alternative medicine use and its association with quality of life among Lebanese breast cancer patients: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The effects of Reiki practice on breast cancer patients: a systematic review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Pooled it
- Potential factors that influence usage of complementary and alternative medicine worldwide: a systematic review.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2020Pooled it
- Physician Partnerships and Adverse Outcomes among Breast Cancer Survivors: The Role of Adherence to Adjuvant Hormone Therapy.Journal of general internal medicine · 2026Article
- Negotiating illness through faith: Religious narratives of cancer etiology among patients and caregivers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.PloS one · 2026Article
- Antitumor effects of Dadas Cress (Lepidium sativum var. sativum) on Ehrlich Ascites tumor cells: an in vitro and in vivo study.Journal of molecular histology · 2025Article
- Traditional and Complementary Medicine Use among Cancer Patients in Asian Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Cancers · 2024Review
- Supplement use and its impact on daily life of cancer patients: a cross-sectional study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024Article
- Utilization of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by women with breast cancer or gynecological cancer.PloS one · 2023Article
- Medical Conditions and Preference of Traditional Chinese Medicine: Results from the China Healthcare Improvement Evaluation Survey.Patient preference and adherence · 2023Article
- Therapeutic pluralism and the politics of disclosure: breast cancer patients' experiences in public healthcare.African health sciences · 2022Article
- A triangulated perspective for understanding CAM use in Lebanon: a qualitative study.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2022Article
- Factors Influencing Demand for Medical Cannabis Use among Cancer Patients in the North of Thailand.Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2022Article
- Complementary and alternative medicine use and its associated factors among hypertensive patients in Debre Tabor General Hospital, Ethiopia.Metabolism open · 2021Article
- Health-Related Quality of Life of Lebanese Women With Breast Cancer: Protocol for a Prospective Cohort Study.JMIR research protocols · 2021Article
- RNA-binding protein CELF2 inhibits breast cancer cell invasion and angiogenesis by downregulating NFATc1.Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2021Article
- Development, translation, and validation of a bilingual questionnaire on unused medications in homes.Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society · 2021Article
- Facilitators and barriers to the clinical administration of herbal medicine in Ghana: a qualitative study.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2021Article
- The Use of Herbal Therapy to Improve the Quality of Life among Cancer Patients in the Southern Region of Peninsular Malaysia.Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2021Article
- The role of pharmacists in complementary and alternative medicine in Lebanon: users' perspectives.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2021Article
- Prevalence of the Use of Herbal Medicines among Patients with Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2021Review
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10 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundBreast cancer patients are increasingly seeking Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) therapies with the hope of alleviating the burden of the disease and improving their quality of life (QOL). The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence, types, socio-demographic and disease-related correlates as well as characteristics of CAM use (including disclosure to treating physicians) among breast cancer patients in Beirut, Lebanon. A secondary objective was to evaluate the association between CAM use and QOL.
methodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted on breast cancer patients recruited from two major referral centers in Beirut: a philanthropic hospital and a private academic medical center. In face-to-face interviews, participants completed a questionnaire of three sections: socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics, breast cancer condition, and CAM use. Three to four weeks following these interviews, the secondary QOL assessment was carried out via telephone using the Arabic version of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast questionnaire. The main outcome in this study, CAM use, was defined as using CAM at least once after breast cancer diagnosis.
resultsA total of 180 breast cancer patients completed the survey (response rate: 94.6 %). Prevalence of CAM use was 40 %. Using multivariate logistic regression, CAM use was negatively associated with age (OR: 0.96, CI: 0.92-0.99), treatment at the philanthropic hospital (OR: 0.13, CI: 0.05-0.35) and was positively associated with an advanced stage of the disease (OR: 4.20, CI: 1.65-10.69). Among study participants recruited from both sites, the most commonly used CAM was 'special food' followed by 'herbal teas', 'diet supplements' and 'Spiritual healing'. Only 4 % of CAM users cited health professionals as influencing their choice of CAM and only one in four patients disclosed CAM use to their treating physician. There was no significant association between CAM use and QOL.
conclusionsThe findings of this study revealed a prevalent CAM use among Lebanese breast cancer patients. Furthermore, physicians' role in orienting CAM use was found to be marginal as patients relied mainly on family and media for their choice of CAM and were less likely to disclose CAM use to their treating physicians.
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