Cancer patients' attitudes towards Chinese medicine: a Hong Kong survey

Lam, Yuen Chi; Cheng, Chung Wah; Peng, Heng; Law, C.K.; Huang, Xianzhang; Bian, Zhaoxiang

doi:10.1186/1749-8546-4-25

Cited by 43 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…It may therefore seem easier to attempt to set up an RCT in China or Taiwan. However, a previous study showed that many Chinese patients using chemotherapy secretly use TCM herbs, without informing the Western medical oncologists treating them, 9 something confirmed in our previous study. 5 In a prospective randomized trial supervised by a TCM oncology specialist, it would be questionable if patients would reliably report use of alternative TCM herbs, either those used by a placebo or control group or herbs used by an herbal treatment group in addition to those prescribed by the TCM specialist.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Is the Improvement of Prognosis of Patients With Metastatic Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma Treated With TCM Herbal Medicine due to Lag Time to Treatment Bias?

2011

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Background. Traditional Chinese herbal medicine was associated with improved prognosis in patients with performance score 0-1 at the time of diagnosis of stage IV pulmonary adenocarcinoma (PAC) treated with platinum-based chemotherapy (PBT). Objective. The authors investigated the effect of 1-to 4-month lag time to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment on the median and 1-year survival of PBT-PAC patients. Methods. The median lag time to treatment was 3 months. In the first 3 months, about 35% of the patients died, but thereafter the survival curve flattened off and the death of the next 35% to 40% of patients took 9 months. Leaving out patients with lag time up to 3 months therefore would be a reasonable choice. To be on the safe side, the effects of leaving out patients up to 4 months were investigated. The KaplanMeier survival curves were used. Results. The median and 1-year survival of the PBT-PAC patients was 5.0 months and 27%, respectively. Leaving out patients with 0-1 month follow-up, 0-2, 0-3, and 0-4 months follow-up changed the median and 1-year survival, respectively, to 5.5 months and 32%, 6.5 months and 36%, 9.0 months and 43%, and 10.0 months and 52%. The median survival of PBT + TCM in PAC patients was 22.6 months and 78%. Median lag time to TCM treatment was 3.0 months. With up to 4 months lag time to treatment due to combined patients' and TCM doctor's waiting time, the improved survival of PBT + TCM performance score 0-1 (fully ambulant) patients at the time of diagnosis still is significant (P < .01, hazard ratio = 0.51). Moreover, the survival of patients treated by TCM doctors with little or more months lag time to treatment was not different (P = .79). Conclusion. Increasing lag time to treatment up to 4 months improves the median and 1-year survival of PBT patients without TCM but is unlikely to explain the greatly improved prognosis of PBT + TCM treated patients with fully ambulant stage IV PAC.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Is the Improvement of Prognosis of Patients With Metastatic Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma Treated With TCM Herbal Medicine due to Lag Time to Treatment Bias?

2011

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“…Interestingly, nearly two thirds did not tell their physicians they were using traditional Chinese medicine herbs. 13 We therefore considered that the same may also have occurred with the patients from hospital B. One of us (HG) therefore personally contacted each patient or their relatives and discovered that 35 of the 66 patients from hospital B also "secretly" used TCM herbal treatment provided by different TCM specialists (ie, had consulted TCM specialists elsewhere in Shanghai outside the supervision of the treating Western medicine specialist).…”

Section: Patientsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traditional Chinese Medicine Herbal Treatment May Have a Relevant Impact on the Prognosis of Patients With Stage IV Adenocarcinoma of the Lung Treated With Platinum-Based Chemotherapy or Combined Targeted Therapy and Chemotherapy

Guo

Liu

et al. 2010

Integr Cancer Ther

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Background: Targeted therapy (TT), chemotherapy, and traditional Chinese medicine herbal treatment (TCM) can improve the prognosis of advanced pulmonary adenocarcinoma patients. Their independent prognostic value is unknown. Objective: To study whether TCM improves survival in stage IV pulmonary adenocarcinoma patients with platinum-based chemotherapy (PBT), or combined PBT and second-line TT. Methods: Retrospective analysis of 133 fully ambulant clinical outpatients treated with PBT alone or PBT with/without second-line TT, with/without TCM. Univariate (Kaplan-Meier) and multivariable (Cox model) survival analysis were performed, using disease-specific mortality as an endpoint. Results: Gender (P = .002), TT (P < .0001), and TCM (P < .0001) had univariate prognostic value but not age, radiotherapy, or TCM syndrome differentiation (P > .10). TCM herbal treatment (P < .0001) and TT (P = .03) had multivariable independent prognostic value. TCM-treated patients (n = 103, PBT+TT+TCM+ = 62; PBT+TT−TCM+ =41) had 88% 1-year overall survival rate with median survival time (MST) of 27 months, contrasting 27% 1-year overall survival and MST of 5.0 months for non-TCM-treated (n = 30) patients. Patients with chemotherapy/TT/TCM (PBT+TT+TCM+, n = 62), TCM without TT (PBT+TT−TCM+, n = 41), or chemotherapy only (PBT+TT−TCM−, n = 30), had 1-year survival rates of 94%, 78%, and 27% respectively; for these 3 groups, respectively, MST was not reached (MST of 30.9 months), 22.6, and 5.0 months (P < .0001). Conclusions: TCM herbal treatment may improve survival of stage IV pulmonary adenocarcinoma patients treated with chemotherapy without or with second-line TT. This warrants formal phase 1 and 2 trials and ultimately properly designed prospective clinical validation trials with adequate methodology developed for data collection.

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“…Qigong is a traditional form of Chinese (mindbody) physical activity which is similar, but more ancient in origin, to Tai Chi. It uses slow body movement and mind control (meditative movement), and is commonly practiced by Asian cancer patients (Lam et al, 2009), as it enhances health. A recent systematic review of controlled clinical trials on Qigong in cancer patients identified only 4 RCTs which failed to demonstrate convincing result on the efficacy of Qigong due to the poor methodology and lacked of proceedings details (Lee et al, 2007) Another systemic review by Oh and colleagues (2011) reported encouraging results on medical Qigong in cancer patients.…”

Section: Research Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

The Kuala Lumpur Qigong Trial for Women in the Cancer Survivorship Phase-Efficacy of a Three-Arm RCT to Improve QOL

Loh¹,

Lee²,

Murray³

2014

Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention

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Background: Qigong is highly favoured among Asian breast cancer survivors for enhancing health. This study examined the hypothesis that quality of life (QoL) in the Qigong group is better than the placebo (aerobic) or usual care group. Materials and Methods: A total of 197 participants were randomly assigned to either the 8-week Kuala Lumpur Qigong Trial or control groups in 2010-2011. Measurement taken at baseline and postintervention included QoL, distress and fatigue. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and Kruskal Wallis were used to examine for differences between groups in the measurements. Results: There were 95 consenting participants in this 8week trial. The adherence rates were 63% for Qigong and 65% for the placebo group. The Qigong group showed significant marginal improvement in Quality of life scores compared to placebo (mean difference=7.3 unit; p=0.036), compared to usual care (mean difference=6.7 unit; p=0.048) on Functional Assessment Cancer Therapy-Breast measure. There were no significant changes between the placebo and usual care groups in fatigue or distress at post intervention (8-week). Conclusions: Cancer survivors who participated in the Qigong intervention showed slightly better QOL. Follow up studies are greatly needed to evaluate which subgroups may best benefit from Qigong. With a steep rise of cancer survivors, there is an urgent need to explore and engage more cultural means of physical activity to fight side effects of treatment and for cancer control in developing countries.

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Cancer patients' attitudes towards Chinese medicine: a Hong Kong survey

Cited by 43 publications

References 24 publications

Is the Improvement of Prognosis of Patients With Metastatic Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma Treated With TCM Herbal Medicine due to Lag Time to Treatment Bias?

Is the Improvement of Prognosis of Patients With Metastatic Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma Treated With TCM Herbal Medicine due to Lag Time to Treatment Bias?

Traditional Chinese Medicine Herbal Treatment May Have a Relevant Impact on the Prognosis of Patients With Stage IV Adenocarcinoma of the Lung Treated With Platinum-Based Chemotherapy or Combined Targeted Therapy and Chemotherapy

The Kuala Lumpur Qigong Trial for Women in the Cancer Survivorship Phase-Efficacy of a Three-Arm RCT to Improve QOL

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