Abstract
Ramadan fasting represents one of the five pillars of the Islam creed. Even though some subjects (among which patients) are exempted from observing this religious duty, they may be eager to share this particular moment of the year with their family and peers. However, there are no guidelines or standardized protocols that can help physicians to properly address the issue of patients with cancer fasting in Ramadan and correctly advising them. Moreover, in a more interconnected and globalized society, in which more and more Muslim patients live in the Western countries, this topic is of high interest also for the general practitioner. For this purpose, we carried out a systematic review on the subject. Our main findings are that (1) very few studies have been carried out, addressing this issue, (2) evidence concerning quality of life and compliance to treatment is contrasting and scarce, and (3) generally speaking, few patients ask their physicians whether they can safely fast or not. For these reasons, further research should be performed, given the relevance and importance of this topic.
Highlights
The Arabic word Islam means peace, purity, and total submission to the will of Allah by conforming inwardly and outwardly to his law
The effects of Ramadan fasting on patients suffering from cancer interest physicians in that, in the nowadays globalized society, have to face with issues such as the management of cancer in Muslim patients [29]
Patients who decided to go on fasting after the diagnosis of cancer thought that observing Ramadan would have lead to Patients who were females, those with good performance status, those without any comorbid disease, who had non-metastatic disease, those with history of surgery, young, those treated with radiotherapy, and those being treated with single agents, oral chemotherapeutic agents, or not receiving drugs being in the follow-up period were more likely to be fasting than others
Summary
The Arabic word Islam means peace, purity, and total submission to the will of Allah (the Lord of the worlds, Rabb al-‘alameen) by conforming inwardly and outwardly to his law. The effects of Ramadan fasting on patients suffering from cancer interest physicians in that, in the nowadays globalized society, have to face with issues such as the management of cancer in Muslim patients [29]. RAMADAN AND CANCER: QUALITY OF LIFE AND ADHERENCE TO RELIGIOUS WORSHIP
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