Utilization Pattern of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Liver Cancer Patients in Taiwan

Background: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is one of the most popular complementary and alternative medicine modalities worldwide and is covered by the National Health Insurance Program in Taiwan. The aim of this study was to analyze the utilization pattern of TCM by patients with liver cancer from 1996-2007, using a population-based random sample of 1 million insured patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using claim data sets for years 1996-2007, obtained from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005. Only ambulatory care was analyzed in this study. Results: A total of 6,358 liver cancer patients used ambulatory care during the period 1996-2007. Among them, 1,240 (19.50%) used TCM outpatient services. The mean age of TCM users was 57.95 years (SD of 11.46), and that of nonusers was 59.65 years (SD of 12.30). A higher proportion of patients with liver cancer who were female, and employees of government, schools, or institutes and private enterprises were TCM users than nonusers (all p<0.001). Most Western medicine (WM) and TCM outpatient services were provided by private clinics, followed by private hospitals. The 2 most frequently recorded coexisting diseases for both WM and TCM outpatient visits were chronic liver disease and cirrhosis and malignant neoplasm of the liver and hepatic bile duct. Conclusion: TCM was widely used by the Taiwanese population during the study period to treat liver cancer and other problems. The findings of this study should be useful for health policy makers and those considering the integration of TCM and WM.