Clinical trial · Observational
Cross Sectional Study of Constipation in Advanced Cancer Patients
Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome Distribution of Advanced Cancer Patients With Constipation
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
Constipation is a common problem in palliative cancer patients. However, there were insufficient randomized controlled trial (RCT) data to identify the "best" laxative or combination of laxatives in these patients. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in holistic approach is popular among cancer patients. More than half had received at least one form of TCM therapy according to the survey carried in 2008. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) in compound formulation with nourishing and purging effects simultaneously may be more preferred to relieve constipation by local palliative cancer patients. TCM syndrome differentiated by collecting all symptoms and signs through the classic four diagnostic methods is the foundation for making diagnosis and prescription in TCM practice. The present study is the first local study to evaluate the bowel habits and TCM syndrome of advanced cancer patients with constipation. We hope that the results not only can shed light on patient's own reporting or experience of constipation and the effectiveness of current practice, but also can draw up a CHM formulation for advanced cancer patients with constipation.
Conditions
Conditions (3)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Constipation | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Palliative Care | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Traditional Chinese Medicine | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (0)
Data not yet available
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (0)
[]Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- TCM syndrome distribution
- timeFrame
- End of recruitment (estimated timeframe: 3 months)
- description
- Five TCM syndromes, i.e. Excess Heat, Qi Stagnation, Qi Deficiency, Yang Deficiency and Yin Deficiency, are differentiated by TCM practitioner.
Secondary outcomes (1)
- measure
- bowel habit
- timeFrame
- End of recruitment (estimated timeframe: 3 months)
- description
- 1. Patient's own reporting or experience of constipation 2. Effectiveness of current practice in relief of constipation
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * advanced cancer patients * on medication for facilitating bowel movement and/or constipation visual analogue scale \>=2 Exclusion Criteria: * unable to communicate * cognitive impaired * put on colostomy bag * clinically diagnosed gastrointestinal obstruction * at end-of-life
References
Publications (0)
Data not yet available