ArticleBMC complementary medicine and therapies2026
The potential effects of traditional Chinese medicine on the outcomes after breast cancer surgery: a large population-based study.
Article in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDetailed evidence concerning the impact of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on clinical outcomes for breast cancer patients in Taiwan is not yet fully available. Our research sought to examine the association between TCM integration and postoperative outcomes among women undergoing mastectomies.
methodsUtilizing a large insurance database, we identified a cohort of adult women who underwent breast cancer surgery during the 2010–2019 period. We compared sociodemographic profiles and comorbidities between TCM users and non-users. Multiple logistic regression models were employed to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for both mortality and postoperative complications.
resultsAmong 91,298 eligible patients, the one-year preoperative prevalence of TCM utilization was 39.8%. Compared to the control group, TCM users demonstrated a significantly lower likelihood of postoperative stroke (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.62–0.93) and a reduced requirement for intensive care (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.59–0.91). Notably, a cumulative exposure of more than four TCM consultations within the year preceding surgery was specifically linked to a decreased risk of stroke (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.61–0.95).
conclusionTCM utilization is prevalent among the Taiwanese breast cancer population prior to surgery. Our findings suggest that preoperative TCM use is correlated with improved post-mastectomy outcomes, particularly regarding stroke prevention and reduced intensive care needs. Nevertheless, these observational benefits warrant further confirmation through prospective and large-scale clinical investigations.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.