Clinical Research on TCM Syndrome Differentiation of 218 Patients with Postoperative Colorectal Cancer

This study aimed at providing objective and scientific evidence in the treatment determination of postoperative colorectal cancer based on the pathogenesis obtained through traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome differentiation. The symptoms and signs of postoperative early metaphase colorectal cancer were objectively summarized and differentiated by TCM syndrome differentiation. Mathematical statistics and multivariate analysis were applied in the clinical research. A total of 218 patients with postoperative early metaphase colorectal cancer were investigated in both Beijing and Shanghai. The contents included common data, TNM staging, the grade of oncopathology, previous treatment, symptoms, physical signs, and the TCM syndrome differentiation pattern. The database was established and managed with EPIdata 3.1. The data were entered twice in the auditing. The main statistical method employed was multivariate analysis, including cluster analysis and factor analysis. Regular TCM syndrome patterns of postoperative early metaphase colorectal cancer were objectively summarized by mathematical statistics and in combination with clinical practice. Through a clinical investigation and mathematical statistics, the diagnostic criteria of the TCM syndrome differentiation of postoperative early metaphase colorectal cancer were initially made. The seven determined TCM syndrome patterns are the syndrome of dryness of the intestine, the syndrome of insufficiency of the spleen and stomach, the syndrome of deficiency and exhaustion of spleen-qi, the syndrome of deficiency and exhaustion of liver-yin and endoretention of damp heat, the syndrome of inco-ordination between the liver and stomach, the syndrome of deficiency and exhaustion of kidney-qi, and the syndrome of yang asthenia and phlegmatic hygrosis. Meanwhile, the major as well as minor symptoms were also defined in each of these seven patterns. It is concluded that according to the results of mathematical statistics in combination with TCM theories, there are rules in the TCM syndrome patterns of postoperative early metaphase colorectal cancer. Further studies should be conducted in this area.