Abstract
It is common for patients with cancers in Hong Kong seeking Chinese Medicine (CM) therapies as supportive care during cancer treatment and to manage treatment-related side effects. This article provides clinical practice guideline (CPG) on the use of CM for specific clinical indications caused by cancer and during cancer treatment, including pain, constipation, and insomnia, and aims to guide local licensed CM practitioners and provide beneficial reference for social medical decision makers and patients. In this manuscript, we summarize the clinical manifestation, CM pattern classification, and CM intervention including herbal treatment, acupuncture treatment, regulating, and nursing based on pattern differentiation.
Highlights
According to the most update statistics from the Hong Kong Government, in 2015, number of new cases of cancer in Hong Kong hit a historical high of 30,318 and 14,316 deaths which were attributable to cancers [1]
Multiple studies have pointed out that a significant proportion of cancer patients with moderate to severe pain, nausea, constipation, insomnia, anxiety, and other symptoms can benefit from palliative care [2,3,4]
Since Chinese Medicine (CM) is well known for its clinical effect in improving the quality of life of cancer patients, in 2014, the Hospital Authority (HA) has been commissioned by the Hong Kong Government to launch a project named “Integrated ChineseWestern Medicine Pilot Programme” [5]
Summary
According to the most update statistics from the Hong Kong Government, in 2015, number of new cases of cancer in Hong Kong hit a historical high of 30,318 and 14,316 deaths which were attributable to cancers [1]. Suffering from the symptoms, patients in Hong Kong commonly seek help from complementary and integrative therapies, especially CM, as supportive care during cancer treatment and manage treatment-related side effects [2]. Since CM is well known for its clinical effect in improving the quality of life of cancer patients, in 2014, the Hospital Authority (HA) has been commissioned by the Hong Kong Government to launch a project named “Integrated ChineseWestern Medicine Pilot Programme” [5]. Eligible in-patients at the designated hospitals started receiving CM treatment based on clinical protocol developed by Chinese and Western Medicine experts. In order to standardize the diagnosis and treatment with CM and provide evidence-based clinical references for both Chinese and Western physicians, the Hong Kong Baptist University is entrusted by the HA to complete the CM CPG development process. Its members include health care policy makers, medical experts, methodologists, literature experts, and patient representatives
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