Statistical Analysis Of The Prescriptions Written Out By Professor Zhang Hua In Recent 5 Years For The Treatment Of Hepatic Carcinoma

ObjectiveTo analyze the prescriptions written out by Professor Zhang Hua in recent 5 years for the treatment of intermediate and advanced hepatic carcinoma with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) using modern statistical method, aiming to perform a comprehensive and systematic analysis on the characteristics of his treating methods and principles as well as his clinical medication laws, sort out his core academic ideas and thus make a more in-depth discussion and summarization of his clinical experience.MethodsIn this paper, a retrospective study was conducted on the prescriptions written out by Professor Zhang Hua in recent 5 years for the treatment of intermediate and advanced hepatic carcinoma patients, who were admitted into the Oncology Department, Guagnzhou Hospital of TCM. Softwares Word and Excel were used to establish the relevant database and SPSS21.0 software was for statistical analysis, where drugs were taken as variables and the prescription as samples. "1" was assigned to the presence of a drug in the prescription, while "0" for the absence. The statistics for the use frequency of drugs and drug classes was performed using frequency analysis, and the closely related medicine suits were found through cluster analysis. Based on those statistical results, the clinical medication laws as well as the characteristics of treating methods and principles of Professor Zhang Hua for the treatment of this disease were analyzed, and his core academic ideas were understood and sorted out by combining with clinical attendant experience.ResultsThe findings by the statistics on sample prescriptions have been showed as follows.1) the drug frequency statistics indicated 16 most frequently used drugs, including liquorice, atractylodes, radix curcumae, coix seed, moutan bark, poria, pinellia ternate, citrus aurantium, humulus scandens, yam, radix codonopsis, corydalis yanhusuo, radix paeoniae alba, bupleurum, fingered citron and herba artemisiae scopariae, with a cumulative frequency of up to 59.25%, suggesting that they were the core drugs used by Professor Zhang Hua for the treatment of intermediate and advanced hepatic carcinoma.2) Drug class frequency statistics showed that the most commonly used drug class was tonics, followed by drugs for clearing damp and promoting diuresis, promoting blood circulation, regulating qi, clearing heat and detoxicating, helping digestion, and relieving cough and reducing sputum to relieve asthma. These seven drug classes accounted for 82.33% of the total medications and served as the main drug classes in the treatment of intermediate and advanced hepatic carcinoma. 3) Systematic cluster analysis results suggested eight medicine suits commonly used by Professor Zhang Hua for the treatment of intermediate and advanced hepatic carcinoma, including atractylodes & poria, radix curcumae & moutan bark, corydalis yanhusuo & fingered citron, fructus hordei germinatus & rice-grain sprout, pericarpium arecae & citrus aurantium, bark of eucommia & radix achyranthis bidentatae, fructus cannabis & bunge cherry seed and humulus scandens & radix paeoniae alba.ConclusionBased on the above statistical results and clinical attendant experience, it is summarized that 1) the core idea of Professor Zhang Hua in the treatment of intermediate and advanced hepatic carcinoma is supporting the healthy energy, and 2) the characteristics of his treating methods and principles are to give priority to invigorating spleen and supplementing qi, nourishing blood and qi, as well as nourishing liver and kidney, and to adhere to the syndrome differentiation and treatment, which is supplemented with treating principles of clearing damp and promoting diuresis, promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis, promoting qi circulation and relieving depression, clearing heat and detoxicating, helping digestion and harmonizing stomach, eliminating dampness and eliminating phlegm, etc.