An-Najah Staff

Introduction Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has an important role in supportive cancer care in the Middle East and is often used in association with traditional medicine. This article provides a comprehensive review of published data on CAM research in supportive cancer care in the Middle East.
Methods and results A multi-disciplinary Middle-Eastern Research Group in Integrative Oncology (MERGIO) was established in six countries. Authors independently searched Medline database for articles in Arabic, Hebrew, French, and Turkish using oncology and CAM-related keywords. Articles were recorded according to the first author’s affiliation with an academic or clinical institution in the Middle East.
Results We identified 143 articles on CAM and cancer care that had been published in12 Middle-Eastern countries. Eighty-five articles were directly related to cancer supportive care. The latter included studies on the prevalence of CAM use by patients with cancer, aspects related to of doctor–patient communication, ethics and regulation, psychosocial aspects of CAM, CAM safety and quality assurance, studies of CAM education for health care providers, and ethno-botanical studies and reviews. Twenty-eight articles referred to clinical research on supportive care, and the use of specific CAM modalities that included acupuncture, anthroposophic medicine, dietary and nutritional therapies herbal medicine, homeopathy, mind–body medicine, shiatsu, therapeutic touch, and yoga.
Conclusions CAM-related supportive care research is prevalent in the Middle East, a fact that may serve as a basis for future multinational-multidisciplinary research work in supportive care in oncology.

This study sought to describe type, frequency, purpose and patterns of herbal medicine used by a sample of patients with cancer in Palestine. A cross-sectional survey of patients attending the outpatient cancer departments at the Governmental Hospitals was undertaken using semi-structured questionnaires.
Results A total of 1260 patients with cancer were interviewed. Of the participants, 60.9% (n = 767) reported using herbs primarily bought from Palestine (92.3%) frequently employed in the form of decoctions (43%). The most common herbal product was Arum palaestinum (22.5%). Most Complementary and Alternative (CAM) users were more than 40 years of age, predominantly female, and living in rural areas of Palestine. Family member’s recommendation was cited as the main factor prompting participants to use CAM (43.5%).
Conclusion This study revealed that there is an appreciable prevalence of herbal use among patients with cancer in Palestine.  

An ethnobotanical survey was carried out in the West Bank to evaluate the relative efficacy of the plants used to treat skin diseases and prostate cancer. A total number of 102 informants, 30 years and older and either native born or had been living in the West Bank for more than 30 years, were interviewed using a previously prepared questionnaire. Of about 165 plant species mentioned by the informants, 63 (38.1%) were mentioned by three or more informants. On the basis of their primary uses, 21 of these plants were reported to relieve skin disorders, 17 for urinary system disorders, 16 for gastric disorders, nine for cancer and prostate disorders, eight for arthritis, five for respiratory problems, and five for other ailments. Indices on fidelity levels (FLs), relative popularity level (RPL), and rank-order priority (ROP) were calculated. Plants were classified in two groups: ‘popular’ (RPL=1) or ‘unpopular’ (RPL<1). The following plant species were classified as popular in this study: Teucriumpolium, Matricariaaurea, Urticapilulifera, Paronychiaargentea, Petroselinumsativum, and Salviafruticosa. The remaining 57 species were classified as ‘unpopular’. Fifty-nine plants were claimed to be effective against cancer and prostate disorders, which include Arum dioscorides, U. pilulifera, Allium sativum, Viscum cruciatum, and Allium cepa.