3.1 Demographic and clinical information of cancer
patients with herbal medicines
Of 315 cancer patients recruited for the study, 262 patients (83.2%;
95% CI: 78.6, 87.1) used at least one herbal medicine during
chemotherapy courses and were included in this analysis. The mean ± SD
age of cancer patients who used herbal medicines was 51.1±14.0 years
(age range: 18 to 92). More than 70% of the patients were females
(n=188, 71.8%) and urban residents (n=204, 77.9%). The majority of
cancer patients were married (n=248, 94.7%). More than half of the
patients were under diploma (n=152, 58.0%). Breast was the most
prevalent cancer site among patients (n=98, 37.4%). Almost nearly half
of the patients had metastatic cancers (n=117, 44.7%), but recurrence
was not frequent among them (n=45, 17.2%). More than half of the
patients suffered from comorbidities (n=138, 52.7%). Common
complications among patients were nausea and vomiting (n=186, 71.0%),
constipation and diarrhea (n=169, 64.5%) and pain (n=160, 61.1%)
(Table 1).