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Integrative oncology research in the Middle East: weaving traditional and complementary medicine in supportive care

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Abstract

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.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Integrative Oncology Program, The Oncology Service and Lin Medical Center, Clalit Health Services, Haifa and Western Galilee District, 35 Rothschild St, Haifa, Israel, 35152

    Eran Ben-Arye

  2. Complementary and Traditional Medicine Unit, Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel

    Eran Ben-Arye

  3. Biodiversity and Biotechnology Research Unit, Biodiversity and Environmental Research Center, BERC, Til, Nablus, Palestinian

    Mohammed Saleem Ali-Shtayeh & Rana Majed Jamous

  4. Centre National des Soins Palliatifs-Douleur, Directeur de Programme de Recherche “Douleurs Sans Frontières” au Maroc, I.N.O, Rabat, Morocco

    Mati Nejmi

  5. Department of Internal Medicine, Bnai-Zion Hospital, Haifa, Israel

    Elad Schiff

  6. Department for Complementary/Integrative Medicine, Law and Ethics, The International Center for Health, Law and Ethics, Haifa University, Haifa, Israel

    Elad Schiff

  7. Botany Department, National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt

    Esmat Hassan

  8. Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dokuz Eylul University, Institute of Oncology, Inciralti, Izmir, Turkey

    Kamer Mutafoglu

  9. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan

    Fatma U. Afifi

  10. Department of Eretz Israel Studies, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel

    Efraim Lev

  11. Middle-East Cancer Consortium, Haifa, Israel

    Michael Silbermman

Authors
  1. Eran Ben-Arye
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  2. Mohammed Saleem Ali-Shtayeh
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  7. Fatma U. Afifi
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  9. Efraim Lev
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Correspondence to Eran Ben-Arye.

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Ben-Arye, E., Ali-Shtayeh, M.S., Nejmi, M. et al. Integrative oncology research in the Middle East: weaving traditional and complementary medicine in supportive care. Support Care Cancer 20, 557–564 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-011-1121-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-011-1121-0

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