Cultural convergence in African cancer care: exploring the integration of traditional healing practices with contemporary approaches

Abstract Traditional healing practices and religious beliefs substantially influence cancer care pathways across Africa, yet structured integration with biomedical oncology remains underdeveloped. This narrative review synthesised literature on the interplay between traditional medicine, faith-based healing, and contemporary cancer care across African contexts, with comparisons to relevant Asian and Latin American sociocultural settings. Use of traditional medicine among African cancer patients ranged from 14.1% to 84%, with median prevalence estimates of approximately 60-67% across sub-Saharan Africa. Herbal medicine was the most frequently reported modality, often used alongside chemotherapy or radiotherapy (42-61%), yet disclosure to healthcare providers was consistently low (12-23%). Advanced disease stage, lower education, socioeconomic barriers, and dissatisfaction with conventional treatment were associated with higher utilisation of traditional and spiritual care. While some studies reported improved coping, reduced pain, or enhanced quality of life with spiritual care, reliance on traditional or faith-based healing was also linked to diagnostic delay and advanced-stage presentation, including a 3.5-fold increased risk of delayed presentation in one study. Evidence supporting the clinical efficacy of traditional anticancer remedies remains largely preclinical, with limited safety and interaction data. Three integration typologies emerged: informal patient-driven pluralism, parallel institutional coexistence, and collaborative models with structured referrals and shared governance. Informal and parallel models predominated, often resulting in fragmented care, treatment interruptions, and safety concerns. Fully collaborative models were less common but demonstrated improved trust, clearer role delineation, and coordinated interfaces between systems. Overall, integration is widely recognised as necessary but remains structurally immature. Strengthening referral pathways, regulatory frameworks, implementation research, and culturally grounded clinical evaluation of traditional therapies is essential to reduce time-to-diagnosis and time-to-treatment, improve adherence and patient experience, and ensure safety within African cancer care systems.