The Relationship between Qi Deficiency, Cancer-related Fatigue and Quality of Life in Cancer Patients.
BACKGROUND
Qi ( qì) refers to the vital energy of the body in Traditional Chinese medicines (TCM). Qi deficiency ( qì xū) is the most common symptom in cancer patients according to the concept of TCM. We hypothesized that cancer patients with Qi deficiency suffer from poor quality of life (QOL) and fatigue.


METHODS
Among the 256 registered cancer patients screened at our outpatient clinic, a total of 198 were enrolled. The inclusion criteria were (1) age between 18 and 70 years, (2) cancer diagnosis confirmed by the professional physician, (3) being Chinese, and (4) Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status rating (PSR) ≤ 3. The major outcome is the difference in QOL score in cancer patients with and without Qi deficiency.


RESULTS
The initial results showed statistically significant differences in WHO-QOL scores in physical, psychological, and social domains between the groups with and without Qi deficiency as well as the groups with and without cancerrelated fatigue (CRF). All patients with CRF present were also diagnosed as Qi deficient. In addition, among the patients with no CRF, 39.9% (69/173) were diagnosed as suffering from Qi deficiency, which led to poor QOL.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study showed statistically significant difference in WHO-QOL scores in physical, psychological, and social domains between the groups with and without Qi deficiency as well as the groups with and without CRF. Cancer patients diagnosed with Qi deficiency or CRF have poor QOL. The concept of Qi deficiency in TCM might be applied to cancer health care.
Institute of Traditional Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan ; Branch of Linsen and Chinese Medicine, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chung-Hua
CH
Hsu
Institute of Traditional Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chia-Jung
CJ
Lee
Institute of Traditional Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan ; Division of Hemato-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Branch of Rei-Ai, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Tsai-Ju
TJ
Chien
Division of Hemato-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Branch of Rei-Ai, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan ; Institute of Public Health, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Che-Pin
CP
Lin
Institute of Traditional Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan ; Branch of Linsen and Chinese Medicine, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chien-Hung
CH
Chen
Institute of Traditional Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan ; Department of Nursing, Branch of Linsen and Chinese Medicine, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Mei-Jen
MJ
Yuen
School of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan ; Department of Radiation Oncology and Palliative Care Center, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Yuen-Liang
YL
Lai
Cancer-related Fatigue; Fatigue; Qi deficiency; Quality of life; Traditional Chinese Medicine