Herbs & Supplements in Breast Cancer Usage, Impact, and Personalized Approaches for Diverse Populations

August 26, 2026 updated by: Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

Navigating Herbs and Supplements in Breast Cancer: Usage, Impact, and Personalized Approaches for Diverse Populations

This research study is enrolling participants diagnosed with breast cancer and receiving/received chemotherapy and/or endocrine therapy. The study's primary objective is to assess the differences in the use of herbs and supplements among the populations served at Cleveland Clinic Florida and Ohio by administering a participant-reported questionnaire.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The world has seen a rise in the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) since the early 1980s. This interest in CAM was significant in the United States to the extent that Congress established and set the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 to define what a dietary supplement entails and to launch a legal framework that oversees these products. In 2020, the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey found that the prevalence of dietary supplements among adults was around 58.5%, with sales reaching $55.7 Billion. Notably, the consumption of dietary supplements is not limited to healthy individuals. Individuals with cancer are significant consumers of such products, with a prevalence rate as high as 50% in the United States. CAM use originates from traditional and cultural practices outside of the Western healthcare system. The literature on the association between CAM use and ethnicity presents conflicting data. Most of the available studies are old, dating to the early 2000s, and lack proper ethnic representation. Additionally, there is a notable gap in the literature regarding the utilization of CAM in breast cancer patients within ethnic minorities. This study aims to evaluate ethnicity and its influence on the use of herbs and supplements in early-stage breast cancer (Stages 1,2,3) in two populations: participants receiving care at Cleveland Clinic Florida and those receiving care at Cleveland Clinic Ohio. The investigators also aim to evaluate the interactions between the most used herbs and supplements with standard therapy, be it endocrine therapy or chemotherapy. The investigators will select the top 10 by frequency of the used herbs and supplements and cross-match it with the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center integrative medicine "Search about Herbs" (https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/diagnosis-treatment/symptom-management/integrative-medicine/herbs/search) as well as "Herbs at glance" via the NIH website (https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/herbsataglance). Moreover, the investigators aim to determine the prevalence of herbs and supplements use in individuals with breast cancer.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
240

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Elizabeth Stone, MD
  • Phone Number: 954-659-5840
  • Email: stonee@ccf.org

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Florida
      • Weston, Florida, United States, 33331
        • Cleveland Clinic Florida
        • Contact:
          • Elizabeth Stone, MD
          • Phone Number: 954-659-5840
          • Email: stonee@ccf.org
    • Ohio
      • Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44195
        • Cleveland Clinic Main Campus
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Established stages I, II, and III breast cancer patients at Cleveland Clinic Florida and Ohio who received care will be screened by the research fellow before or after their oncology visit.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age: 18 years and older.
  • Breast cancer diagnosis at pathologic stage (I, II, and III)
  • Participants with regional lymph node involvement
  • Received Chemotherapy and/ or Endocrine therapy
  • Established patients followed by a medical oncologist at Cleveland Clinic Florida and Ohio
  • Able and willing to participate in the one-time survey.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Under 18 years of age
  • Prior history of cancer diagnosis
  • Unable or unwilling to participate in the survey
  • Distant Metastatic Disease

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Influence of ethnicity on herb/supplement usage among early stage breast cancer participants.
Time Frame: 5 months
Univariate analysis in which Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test will be performed.
5 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Determine the ten most common herbs and supplements by frequency of use in each Cancer Center.
Time Frame: 5 months
5 months
Determine the Prevalence of Herbs and Supplements in breast cancer patients.
Time Frame: 5 months
5 months
Assess potential associations between Conventional treatments and Herbs/Supplements.
Time Frame: 5 months
Measured by multiple logistic regression model
5 months
Association between cancer stage and herbs/supplement usage.
Time Frame: 5 months
Measured by multiple logistic regression model
5 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Stone, MD, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cleveland Clinic Florida

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
March 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
March 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 7, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 11, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 13, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 28, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 26, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • CASE8124

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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