Traditional Chinese Medicine In Integrative Oncology Study Situation And Fields Of Application

Background Therapies from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are increasingly being integrated into western treatment concepts within the framework of integrative oncology. The focus is on reducing side effects caused by oncological treatment, improving the quality of life and promoting a healthy lifestyle. The aim is not to achieve a cure but to strengthen and harmonize the patient. The TCM can therefore be a useful supplement to conventional treatment. Objective This article gives a brief survey of the state of evidence as well as the fields of application of TCM in integrative oncology. Results There is good evidence for acupuncture and acupressure especially for pain: chemotherapy-induced polyneuropathy (CIPN) aromatase inhibitor (AI)-induced arthralgia and cancer-related pain. There are also positive data on the improvement of nausea, sleep disorders, hot flashes and cognitive impairments with acupuncture/acupressure; however, more recent data on improving fatigue and global quality of life are not entirely conclusive. Taking TCM herbs is not recommended from a scientific point of view, only ginseng for fatigue and ginger against chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) can be tried. Conclusion There is good evidence for a number of TCM procedures, especially for acupuncture/acupressure for pain relief (caused by chemotherapy, aromatase inhibitors or the cancer itself). Sleep, cognition and menopausal symptoms can also be improved by acupuncture/acupressure. As a single drug, ginseng can be tried against fatigue and ginger against nausea.