JEDDAH, 24 April 2007 — About 60 percent of cancer patients in Saudi Arabia use unconventional medicine, usually herbal, to treat the disease, according to Dr. Abdullah Al-Amr, chairman of the Saudi Charitable Society to Combat Cancer (SCSCC). He said his organization would launch a campaign to enhance public awareness about the harmful effects of herbal medicine whose effectiveness is not scientifically proved and may actually exacerbate the disease.
“We’ll conduct a study in cooperation with specialized laboratories on popular herbal medicines used by cancer patients in order to make sure how safe and effective they are,” Al-Amr said.
He cautioned patients against the use of such herbal medicines, which could be contaminated with bacteria. “Immune deficiency of cancer patients increases after undergoing treatments like chemotherapy. It would be dangerous for such patients to take herbal medicines,” he added.
Cancer is on the rise in Saudi Arabia where 7,000 new cases are reported every year. “The figure is expected to reach 30,000 within the next 15 years,” the SCSCC chief said.
Dr. Abbas Zagnoon, consultant gastroenterologist and director of the endoscopy unit at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Jeddah, opposes the use of herbal medicine by cancer patients who have no information based on scientific studies of their effectiveness. “Many patients use such medicines thinking that they will be effective and will not have any side effects or because of frustration caused by the current treatment using conventional medicine,” he said. “Frustration can also be caused by the misconception that cancer has no cure. People also believe that chemotherapy will do more harm than good and cause numerous side effects. They believe that herbal medicine will be effective since it is natural. But they should not use such medicines on the basis of these assumptions,” Zagnoon said.
He called for more research to prove the effectiveness of the medicines.
Zagnoon said he would recommend the use of popular herbal medicines for treatment of patients who are terminally ill, especially after conventional medicines failed to cure the disease.
