Department of Abdominal Cancer, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Sichuan Province, Chengdu 610041, China.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:769042. doi: 10.1155/2012/769042. Epub 2012 Sep 11.
Chinese herb medicine (CHM) is the most commonly reported traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) modality. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of CHM use in cancer patients in southwestern China. Cancer patients from eleven comprehensive cancer centers were asked to complete a structured questionnaire. Of 587 available replies, 53.0% used CHM. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that educational level, stage of disease, duration of cancer since diagnosis, marital status, and previous use of CHM were strongly associated with CHM use after cancer diagnosis. The source of information about CHM was mainly from media and friends/family. CHM products were used without any consultation with a TCM practitioner by 67.5% of users. The majority used CHM to improve their physical and emotional well-beings and to reduce cancer therapy-induced toxicities. About 4.5% patients reported side effects of CHM. This survey revealed a high prevalence of CHM use among cancer patients. However, these patients did not get sufficient consultation about the indications and contradictions of these drugs. It is imperative for oncologists to communicate with their cancer patients about the usage of CHM so as to avoid the potential side effects.
中草药（CHM）是最常报告的传统中药（TCM）方式。本研究旨在评估中国西南部癌症患者使用 CHM 的流行率和相关因素。来自十一家综合癌症中心的癌症患者被要求完成一份结构化问卷。在 587 份可用回复中，有 53.0%使用了 CHM。多因素逻辑回归分析表明，文化程度、疾病分期、癌症诊断后时间、婚姻状况和以前使用 CHM 与癌症诊断后使用 CHM 密切相关。关于 CHM 的信息来源主要来自媒体和朋友/家人。67.5%的使用者在使用 CHM 时没有咨询中医医师。大多数人使用 CHM 来改善身体和情绪健康，并减轻癌症治疗引起的毒性。约 4.5%的患者报告了 CHM 的副作用。这项调查显示，癌症患者中 CHM 的使用率很高。然而，这些患者并没有就这些药物的适应症和禁忌症得到充分的咨询。肿瘤学家必须与他们的癌症患者就 CHM 的使用进行沟通，以避免潜在的副作用。
