Factors associated with herbal medicine use among patients with cancer attending a tertiary hospital in Southwestern Uganda: a cross-sectional study.

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 education on safe herbal medicine use and regular monitoring to ensure patient safety and improve treatment outcomes.