Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Cancer Patients in Iraq

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is becoming more popular among cancer patients, but they may be reluctant to inform their medical team about it. As a result, this study aims to determine the levels of CAM usage and the factors that influence its adoption among cancer patients. This cross-sectional study was conducted in three main hospitals in Iraq. The questionnaire consists of the socio-demographic profile, clinical characteristics of cancer, and CAM use. A one-way ANOVA and a Fisher exact test were performed after descriptive statistics were computed to identify the variables connected to the different CAM types that were utilized. The most popular forms of CAM were Quran recitation/water read upon Quran (80.1%), herbal treatment (10%), spiritual therapy/prayers (4.2%), black seeds and honey (3.8%), olive oil/Green tea (1%), and Zamzam wa.7%). The two most often mentioned reasons to use complementary and alternative medicine were to improve physical well-being and increase the body's ability to fight cancer (56.3% and 11.2%, respectively). Factors such as age, marital status, educational attainment, employment status, prior use of complementary and alternative medicine, family income, and the duration of cancer diagnosis were found to be associated with the use of CAM among cancer patients. Healthcare professionals must have frank conversations with their cancer patients about the use of CAM and consider the socioeconomic factors that are closely linked to CAM use. Furthermore, it is important to communicate with patients about CAM use's possible benefits and limitations based on current evidence.