J Tradit Chin Med. 2026 Jun;46(3):715-725. doi: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2026.03.011.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) constitution and fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) in breast cancer survivors.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among breast cancer patients at Guang’anmen Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China, during the period from April 9, 2023, to July 2, 2024. Data were collected on participants’ common sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, scores on the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory (FCRI), and TCM constitution classification. Statistical analyses employed independent samples t-test, χ 2 test, Fisher’s exact test, one-way analysis of variance, Spearman’s correlation coefficient, multiple linear regression analysis, and multivariate logistic regression analysis.
RESULTS: A total of 279 eligible breast cancer patients enrolled in this study. The most prevalent TCM constitutions were ‘Qi-depression’, ‘Peaceful’ and ‘Yang-deficiency’. All nine TCM constitutions of breast cancer patients exhibited significant correlations with FCR scores. The strongest positive correlation was observed between ‘Qi-stagnation’ and FCR (r= 0.5576, P < 0.0001), followed by ‘Qi-deficiency’ (r = 0.4465, P < 0.0001). By contrast, the Peaceful correlation showed a significant negative correlation with FCR (r = －0.363, P < 0.0001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that TCM constitution, lymph node metastasis, and endocrine therapy were influencing factors for FCR in breast cancer patients (P < 0.05). Additionally, multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with TCM constitution in breast cancer patients. After adjusting for potential confounding factors including age, disease stage, pathological type, immunohistochemical status, lymph node metastasis, disease duration, and treatment modality, FCR, disease stage, age, and surgical modality were found to be significantly associated with TCM constitution (all P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates a significant association between TCM constitution and FCR in breast cancer patients, suggesting that FCR can potentially be interpreted within the theoretical framework of TCM. These findings thus provide a theoretical foundation for TCMC-informed management strategies targeting FCR in breast cancer patients.
PMID:42365418 | DOI:10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2026.03.011
