Characteristics of Traditional Chinese Medicine Use in Pediatric Cancer Patients: A Nationwide, Retrospective, Taiwanese-Registry, Population-Based Study

Abstract

Background. Large-scale surveys of complementary traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) use in pediatric cancer patients are lacking. The aim of our study was to investigate the use of TCM in pediatric cancer patients. Methods. We analyzed cancer patients younger than 18 years (n = 12 965) who were registered in the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan between 2001 and 2011. Patients were categorized into TCM or non–TCM users based on their use of TCM. Results. In Taiwan, 8086 (62.4%) children with cancer sought TCM treatment at some point. Children in older age groups, including school-aged children and adolescents, were more likely to use TCM. There was no significant difference in the distributions of gender and urbanization. The 3 most common diseases for which TCM users visited the clinic were neoplasm (33.2%), respiratory system disease (32.9%), and infectious disease (8.86%). The most commonly utilized TCM therapy was Chinese herbal remedies. Patients who had comorbid conditions such as allergic rhinitis, dyspepsia, disorders of menstruation, and disease of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue tended to visit TCM clinics. Conclusions. Adjunctive TCM use is not low in Taiwanese children with cancer. Further studies to investigate the efficacy and safety of TCM in children with cancer are warranted.

Trends in use of acupuncture among adults in Taiwan from 2002 to 2011: A nationwide population-based study

“…Cancer patients often seek CAM to ameliorate symptoms induced by cancer or the side effects of cancer treatment [ 24 ]. Notably, cancer, which was the tenth leading disease category among acupuncture visits in our study, was not in the top 10 disease categories among acupuncture visits in the previous study in Taiwan [ 5 ].…”

“…The NHI program covers not only Western medical services but also ambulatory care in TCM. All claims data from the NHI program are collected in the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD), and researchers can use these datasets to evaluate the utilization of TCM for various diseases such as allergies [ 14 , 15 ], musculoskeletal diseases [ 16 – 18 ], metabolic disorders [ 19 , 20 ], gynecologic diseases [ 21 ], pediatric diseases [ 2 ], geriatric disorders [ 22 ] and cancer [ 23 , 24 ]. De-identified demographic characteristics (e.g., sex, date of birth, occupation and place of residence) and clinical information (e.g., diagnosis, management and treatment) are also provided in the database.…”

A Controlled Trial of Sheng-Yu-Tang for Post–Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Leukemia Patients: A Proposed Protocol and Insights From a Preliminary Pilot Study

“… 11 Epidemiological studies have shown that there are correlations between prolonged survival times and the use of CHM among leukemia patients. 12 - 14 Although few such studies have been published in peer-reviewed journals, a handful of clinical studies have been conducted in China regarding the use of CHM in post-HSCT leukemia patients, and these have achieved positive results. 15 …”

Integrated Chinese Herbal Medicine and Western Medicine on the Survival in Patients with Colorectal Cancer: A Retrospective Study of Medical Records

“…TCM has been reported to be able to alleviate chemotherapy nausea [7], reduce pain [8], improve the curative effect of cancer treatment, enhance quality of life, and reduce adverse events [9]. Research indicated that certain Chinese herbal medicines (CHM), such as Salvia miltiorrhiza, could inhibit the proliferation of colorectal cancer cells by apoptosis [10], thereby effectively prolonging survival [11][12][13][14].…”