RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Experience of patients with breast cancer with traditional treatment and healers’ understanding of causes and manifestations of breast cancer in North Shewa zone, Ethiopia: a phenomenological study JF BMJ Open JO BMJ Open FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group SP e063726 DO 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-063726 VO 12 IS 12 A1 Alemayehu Gonie Mekonnen A1 Belete Tewabe Gebeyehu A1 Mesfin Woldearegay YR 2022 UL http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/12/e063726.abstract AB Objectives Despite a high number of traditional healers (THs) who treat patients with cancer in Ethiopia, there is limited evidence that explored the lived experience of patients with breast cancer (BC) with traditional treatment and healers’ understanding of the causes and manifestations of BC.Design A phenomenological study design was employed.Setting This study was conducted in the North Shewa zone in Ethiopia.Participants Eight in-depth interviews were conducted; four of which were with patients with BC and four with THs. Semistructured interviewing techniques were used to collect data from the two groups of respondents. All interviews were audio-recorded. The recorded data were transcribed verbatim. Coding and marking were then performed to make the raw data sortable. The marked codes were then summarised and categorised into themes.Results In this study, some of THs were unaware of the main risk factors or causes of BC. They did not mention the lifestyle risk factors of BC such as smoking cigarettes, consuming alcohol and eating habits. The most common clinical manifestations noted by THs were lumps at the breast, discharge from the nipples and weakness. All of the THs got their knowledge of BC treatment from their families and through experience. Regarding the lived experience of treatment, some patients with BC perceived that traditional medicines were safer and more effective than modern treatments and they eventually referred themselves to the THs.Conclusions Although THs were unaware of the causes of BC, they were familiar with basic signs and symptoms of the disease. Patients with BC referred themselves to the THs because they preferred traditional therapies to modern ones. In order to better satisfy the unmet needs of Ethiopian women with BC, due consideration should be given to traditional treatments.The dataset(s) supporting the conclusions of this article is(are) included within the article.