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Factors associated with herbal medicine use among patients with cancer attending a tertiary hospital in Southwestern Uganda: a cross sectional study
Author: Samuel Michael Nono, Julius Kyomya, Casim Umba Tolo, Amos Oyuru, Alex Duhimbaze and Tadele Mekuriya Yadesa
Publisher: Discover Oncology
Published: 2025
Section: Faculty of Clinical Medicine and Dentistry
Abstract
Background Herbal medicine use among patients with cancer is prevalent
particularly in low- and middle-income countries. However, concerns about safety
and potential interactions with chemotherapy emphasize the need to understand the
prevalence and factors associated with herbal medicine use in this setting. Therefore,
the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with
herbal medicine use among patients with cancer at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital
(MRRH).
Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study between September 2023 and
November 2023 at the oncology unit of MRRH. Data analysis was done using SPSS
version 27. The demographic characteristics of the study participants were analyzed
descriptively and presented as frequency and percentage. The prevalence of herbal
medicine use was presented as a percentage. We employed both bivariate and
multivariate logistic regression to determine the factors associated with herbal
medicine use and statistical significance was considered at a p-value < 0.05.
Results A total of 358 patients were approached for the study and data from 303
participants was used for analysis. The overall prevalence of herbal medicine use
among patients with cancer attending the MRRH was 56.8% (172/303). Of the 172
patients with cancer who use herbal medication, 46.4% (80/172) use herbal medication
alongside conventional medication. Factors associated with herbal medicine use
among the study participants include: stage III cancer (aOR = 2.7, 95% CI:1.3–5.3;
p-value = 0.005), Stage IV cancer (aOR = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.5–6.3; p-value = 0.003), having a
comorbid condition (aOR = 1.8, 95% CI:1.1–2.9; p-value = 0.026), and having received
three or more cycles of chemotherapy (aOR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.2–5.0; p-value = 0.014).
Conclusion The high prevalence of herbal medicine use among patients with cancer
at MRRH indicates a strong reliance on complementary medicine, especially among
those with advanced cancer and multiple comorbidities. Addressing this requires