title: [Quantitative study on tongue color in primary liver cancer patients by analysis system for comprehensive information of tongue diagnosis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the characteristics of tongue color in patients with primary liver cancer (PLC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Tongue color and its RGB value were analyzed quantitatively for PLC patients in different clinical periods and other cancer patients by analysis system for comprehensive information of tongue diagnosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The rate of blue and purple tongue was higher (P<0.05) and all the values of RGB were lower (P<0.01) in PLC patients compared with other cancer patients. In different clinical periods, the rate of blue and purple tongue in stage III was the highest (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The blue and purple tongue is one of the most important tongue characteristics of PLC patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China. liuqingabc@sina.com.cn
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiao-Qiang
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.forename: Wei-Zhe
authors.initials: WZ
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Rong-Zheng
authors.initials: RZ
authors.lastname: Ren
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002681:China; D003116:Color; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D014059:Tongue