Yan Chai Hospital, Hong Kong Baptist University Clinical Centre for Training and Research in Chinese Medicine (West Kowloon), Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:739642. doi: 10.1155/2012/739642. Epub 2012 Jun 24.
Constipation is a common problem in advanced cancer patients; however, specific clinical guidelines on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome (Zhang) are not yet available. In this cross-sectional study, the TCM syndromes distribution and their common symptoms and signs among 225 constipated advanced cancer patients were determined. Results showed that 127 patients (56.4%) and 7 patients (3.1%) were in deficient and excessive patterns, respectively, while 91 patients (40.4%) were in deficiency-excess complex. The distributions of the five syndromes were: Qi deficiency (93.3%), Qi stagnation (40.0%), blood (Yin) deficiency (28.9%), Yang deficiency (22.2%), and excess heat (5.8%). Furthermore, age, functional status, and level of blood haemoglobin were factors related to the type of TCM syndrome. A TCM prescription with the functions on replenishing the Deficiency, redirecting the flow of Qi stagnation and moistening the dryness caused by the blood (Yin) deficiency can be made for the treatment of advance cancer patients with constipation. Robust trials are urgently needed for further justifying its efficacy and safety in evidence-based approaches.
便秘是晚期癌症患者的常见问题；然而，目前尚缺乏关于中医（TCM）证候的具体临床指南。在这项横断面研究中，确定了 225 例便秘晚期癌症患者的 TCM 证候分布及其常见症状和体征。结果表明，127 例（56.4%）和 7 例（3.1%）患者分别处于虚证和实证模式，而 91 例（40.4%）患者处于虚实夹杂证。五种证候的分布情况为：气虚（93.3%）、气滞（40.0%）、血虚（28.9%）、阳虚（22.2%）和热盛（5.8%）。此外，年龄、功能状态和血血红蛋白水平是与 TCM 证候类型相关的因素。对于治疗便秘的晚期癌症患者，可以开具有补充气虚、疏导气滞和滋润血虚所致干燥功能的 TCM 处方。迫切需要进行强有力的试验，以进一步证明其在循证方法中的疗效和安全性。
