ReviewEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2021
Prevalence of the Use of Herbal Medicines among Patients with Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Review in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 41 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
41 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Phytonutrients and outcomes following breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.JNCI cancer spectrum · 2024Pooled it
- Prevalence of herbal and traditional medicine in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 20-year studies.Systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- The burden of childhood cancers in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Region: a population-based, cross-sectional GLOBOCAN 2022 analysis.The Lancet regional health. Southeast Asia · 2026Article
- Evaluation of Web-based Information on Phytotherapy for Cancer Patients: A Quality and Readability Analysis.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2026Article
- Drug interactions involving therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals: a systematic review.EJNMMI radiopharmacy and chemistry · 2026Review
- Efficacy of Phytotherapy for Cancer-Related Fatigue: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- A Review of the Anticancer Properties of Cedrol and its Molecular Mechanisms.Anti-cancer agents in medicinal chemistry · 2026Review
- Factors associated with herbal medicine use among patients with cancer attending a tertiary hospital in Southwestern Uganda: a cross-sectional study.Discover oncology · 2025Article
- The golden touch: a comprehensive network pharmacology-guided review of synergy between curcumin and PARP inhibitors.Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England) · 2025Review
- An in vitro evaluation of common botanical extracts on carboxylesterase 1 catalytic activity.Drug metabolism and disposition: the biological fate of chemicals · 2025Article
- Prevalence of herbal medicine consumption and regulatory compliance in some selected districts of the Bono region, Ghana.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2025Article
- Interplay Between Traditional and Scientific Knowledge: Phytoconstituents and Their Roles in Lung and Colorectal Cancer Signaling Pathways.Biomolecules · 2025Review
- Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in management of breast cancers in Qatar.Heliyon · 2025Article
- Comparing Perspectives on Traditional and Complementary Medicine Use in Oncology: Insights from Healthcare Professionals and Oncology Patients in Western Mexico.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2025Article
- A bibliometric and visualization analysis of the role of traditional Chinese medicine in cancer immunotherapy.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Article
- Cancer Patients' Behavior and Perception on the Use of Medical Foods and Dietary Supplements During Chemotherapy.Patient preference and adherence · 2025Article
- Herbal and alternative medicine use: a cross sectional study to evaluate the prevalence and predictors of use in cancer patients.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
- Traditional and Complementary Medicine Use among Cancer Patients in Asian Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Cancers · 2024Review
- Green Extraction of Plant Materials Using Supercritical COPlants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- The Use of Herbal Medicines Among Cancer Patients.Cureus · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAlthough herbal medicines are used by patients with cancer in multiple oncology care settings, the magnitude of herbal medicine use in this context remains unclear. The purpose of this review was to establish the prevalence of herbal medicine use among patients with cancer, across various geographical settings and patient characteristics (age and gender categories).
methodsElectronic databases that were searched for data published, from January 2000 to January 2020, were Medline (PubMed), Google Scholar, Embase, and African Index Medicus. Eligible studies reporting prevalence estimates of herbal medicine use amongst cancer patients were pooled using random-effects meta-analyses. Studies were grouped by World Bank region and income groups. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses were performed to explore source of heterogeneity.
resultsIn total, 155 studies with data for 809,065 participants (53.95% female) met the inclusion criteria. Overall, the pooled prevalence of the use of herbal medicine among patients with cancer was 22% (95% confidence interval (CI): 18%-25%), with the highest prevalence estimates for Africa (40%, 95% CI: 23%-58%) and Asia (28%, 95% CI: 21%-35%). The pooled prevalence estimate was higher across low- and middle-income countries (32%, 95% CI: 23%-42%) and lower across high-income countries (17%, 95% CI: 14%-21%). Higher pooled prevalence estimates were found for adult patients with cancer (22%, 95% CI: 19%-26%) compared with children with cancer (18%, 95% CI: 11%-27%) and for female patients (27%, 95% CI: 19%-35%) compared with males (17%, 95% CI: 1%-47%).
conclusionHerbal medicine is used by a large percentage of patients with cancer use. The findings of this review highlight the need for herbal medicine to be integrated in cancer care.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.