Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the benefit of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in improving the quality of life (QOL) and TCM syndrome in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: Sixty-one cancer patients from the oncology and integrated therapy wards in Taipei City Hospital who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled through consultation with their doctors. Participants were allocated to chemotherapy group (n = 31) or integrated therapy group (n = 30). All participants completed the QOL questionnaires and received TCM syndrome analysis. Data were collected before and after eight weeks of treatment and analyzed by using statistical analysis software SPSS V.19.0. Results: After eight weeks of treatment, significant reductions were found in all aspects of QOL in the chemotherapy group, including physical (p = 0.007), psychological (p = 0.014), social (p = 0.030) and environmental (p = 0.015). The proportion of chemotherapy group participants with TCM Qi deficiency (qìxū) and Yin deficiency (yīnxū) syndromes increased significantly (p = 0.010; p = 0.023). The physical aspect of QOL in the integrated therapy group improved significantly (p = 0.041), and no increasing proportions of Qi or Yin deficiency syndromes were noted (p > 0.05). Correlational analysis showed that Qi deficiency had the most significant impact on QOL (p = 0.01). Conclusion: Results of this study show that cancer patients who receive integrated therapy have better QOL and lower incidence of Qi deficiency syndrome than patients receiving chemotherapy alone. Further research is warranted to evaluate the clinical efficacy of integrated treatment with TCM.

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