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Traditional Chinese Medicine Use among Chinese Immigrant Cancer Patients

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Abstract

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) includes both herbal remedies and non-herbal practices. Chinese cancer patients are particularly at high risk for herb–drug interactions. Providers, both primary care physicians and oncologists, frequently do not ask patients about TCM use, which has potentially dangerous consequences. This study describes an assessment of TCM use while undergoing conventional cancer treatment, among a cohort of Chinese immigrant cancer patients in New York City. The Immigrant Health and Cancer Disparities Service at Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center assists underserved cancer patients through a patient navigation program, the Cancer Portal Project. Six questions related to TCM are included in the existing Portal Needs Assessment Intake. Mandarin- or Cantonese-speaking Portal patients enrolled between January 2010 and May 2012 were surveyed. One hundred nine Chinese-speaking patients were enrolled in the Portal Project during the study period. Forty-six completed the TCM questions. Ninety-six percent preferred to speak Mandarin, Cantonese, or Fujianese in the healthcare setting. Thirty-nine percent (n = 18) of the 46 participants reported using TCM since being diagnosed with cancer. Nearly all (n = 16) who used TCM reported using herbal medicines. Ten TCM users did not describe sharing their use with Western doctors. Eight (44 %) of TCM users reported concurrently using TCM and conventional cancer treatment. Larger scale studies should further explore the concurrent use of TCM and conventional cancer treatment in this unique population. Future research should also address patient–provider communication related to the concurrent use of TCM and cancer treatment. This is also an important area of education for both patients and providers.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge Michell Chang-Qui, Maria Xia, and Mei Hsuan Chen for their assistance with data collection and data entry for this study. This study was conducted with funding from NCI grant #U54-13778804-S2.

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None of the authors have any conflicts of interest

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center, Immigrant Health and Cancer Disparities Service, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Medicine; Weill Cornell Medical College, Department of Public Health, 300 E. 66th St., 15th Floor, New York, NY, 10065, USA

    Jennifer C. F. Leng & Francesca Gany

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  1. Jennifer C. F. Leng
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  2. Francesca Gany
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Correspondence to Jennifer C. F. Leng.

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Leng, J.C.F., Gany, F. Traditional Chinese Medicine Use among Chinese Immigrant Cancer Patients. J Canc Educ 29, 56–61 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-013-0542-5

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