Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Publication Date

1-1-2024

Journal

Integrative Cancer Therapies

DOI

10.1177/15347354231223966

PMID

38291957

PMCID

PMC10832418

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

1-31-2024

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The SPIRIT-TCM Extension 2018 was created to guide the design and reporting of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) clinical trial protocols. This study aims to investigate the extent of concordance with this guideline in the relevant field of cancer care research.

METHODS: A scoping review of TCM cancer trial protocols published in English and Chinese since January 2019 was conducted. Five major academic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, CENTRAL, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure) were searched. Concordance with the SPIRIT-TCM Extension 2018 was assessed by descriptive analysis.

RESULTS: Fifty-three TCM cancer care trial protocols were identified, comprising 23 acupuncture, 26 Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), and 4 Tai Chi/Qigong (TCQ) interventions. The majority of the checklist items had a low rate of concordance, especially in the reporting of quality control and safety, dosage, TCM diagnostic patterns, possible interactions between Western Medicine and TCM interventions, and TCM-related outcome assessments.

CONCLUSIONS: Although the SPIRIT-TCM Extension 2018 guideline was established through extensive Delphi consultation, there are low rates of concordance between published TCM cancer care clinical trial protocols with the guideline. Further research is necessary to understand the low rate of concordance and how scientific rigors of reporting can be improved in TCM cancer care research.

Keywords

Humans, Acupuncture Therapy, Drugs, Chinese Herbal, Medicine, Chinese Traditional, Neoplasms, Outcome Assessment, Health Care, Qigong, Clinical Trial Protocols as Topic

Published Open-Access

yes

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