Study on the present state of cancer patients based on charts of Oriental Medicine institutions

한방의료기관 환자진료부에 의한 암환자 현황에 대한 연구

Objectives : The former study of Oriental Medicine on cancer has been mostly focused on lab studies with herbal medicine. Among this atmosphere, the aim of this study is to investigate the suitability of Oriental Medicine institutions to participate in cancer registry programme in R.O.K by investigating the type of treatments used for cancer patients in Oriental Medicine institutes. Methods : To investigate the actual conditions of cancer patients who visited Oriental Medicine institutes, a survey was done based on clinical charts of 258 patients of cancer. Results : The order for the percentage of the original tumor organ of the patients, the number of patients who recognized the outbreak on the year of the first visit was the biggest, and the number gradually decreased while the years passed. For the type of treatment, herbal medicine was the most for 92.6%, acupuncture 52.6%, moxibustion 16.7%, cupping 14.7%. It can be seen that multiple treatment was preferred to single treatment. Among the periods for herbal medication, 10 days was the most for 34.1%, 29.8% for within 50 days and 10.5% for within 100 days. The percentage of patients who took treatment of western medicine at the same time and those who took treatment of Oriental medicine only was 47.4% and 43.8% respectively. By surveying categories such as the symptoms, diagnosis of syndrome, principle of treatment from the chart by a free description, there was 841 names of symptoms, 207 diagnoses of syndromes and 206 principles of treatment. But no relation or connection between these could be found statistically. At there were even occasions which the doctor didn't record the cancer itself, precise investigatio for the actual condition of cancer patients in Oriental Medicine institutions appeared to be very difficult. Conclusions : It seems impossible to enroll cancer patients of Oriental Medicine institutions to the cancer registry programme in R.O.K as far as the patients are recorded only under the paradigm of Oriental Medicine. However, if the Oriental Medicine doctors keep a consistency in classifying categories such as cause of death, syndrome diagnosis, principle of treatment and prescriptions, and limit the choices, for each category, a pilot study for cancer registry programme in R.O.K. in Oriental Medicine could be carried out.