Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25435620›Full record

ArticleAfrican journal of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicines : AJTCAM2014

Use of Chinese medicine among colorectal cancer patients: a nationwide population-based study.

Shiang-Jiun Tsai, Ying-Xu Ruan, Ching-Chih Lee, Moon-Sing Lee, Wen-Yen Chiou, Hon-Yi Lin, Feng-Chun Hsu, Yu-Chieh Su, Ta-Wen Hsu, Shih-Kai Hung

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in African journal of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicines : AJTCAM, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Shiang-Jiun Tsai *Department of Radiation Oncology, Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.
Ying-Xu Ruan *Department of Chinese Medicine, Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.
Ching-Chih LeeDepartment of Otolaryngology, Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.
Moon-Sing LeeDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.
Wen-Yen ChiouDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.
Hon-Yi LinDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.
Feng-Chun HsuDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.
Yu-Chieh SuDepartment of Hematology Oncology, Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.
Ta-Wen HsuDepartment of General Surgery, Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.
Shih-Kai HungDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTraditional Chinese medicine (CM) appears to be used worldwide, especially by cancer patients. The aim of the present study was to explore CM uses and CM non-users by patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). MATERIALS AND

methodsA retrospective study was conducted using registration and claims data sets for 2007 from the National Health Insurance Research Database. Patients with colorectal cancer were identified from the Registry for Catastrophic illness Patients. Binary logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios as the measure of association with the use of CM.

resultsA total of 61,211 CRC patients diagnosed in 2007 were analysis. Most CM users preferred to visit private clinics (46.9%) with 306,599 visits. In contrast, the majority of CM non-users preferred to visit private hospitals (42.2%) with 538,769 visits. Among all 176,707 cancer-specific CM visit, there were 66.6% visits to CM outpatient department (OPD) of private hospitals, while in 477,612 non-cancer-specific CM visits, 62.0% was for private clinics. The proportion of expenses for diagnostic fees for CM user in CM visits was much less than that for WM visits and CM non-users (US$4.6 vs. 29.3 vs. 33.5). The average cost for CM user in CM was less than that for WM visits and CM non-users (US$6.3 vs. 25.9 vs. 30.3). Female patients, younger age, and patients not living in the northern region, with higher EC or more comorbidities were more likely to receive CM treatment.

conclusionThe prevalence and costs of insurance-covered CM among CRC patients were low. Further longer longitudinal study is needed to follow up this trend.

Indexed as

AdultAgedColorectal NeoplasmsCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansInsurance BenefitsMaleMedicine, Chinese TraditionalMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesTaiwanYoung AdultChinese MedicineDigestive System NeoplasmsHealth Insurance

Identifiers

PMID25435620
PMCPMC4202644

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.