Impact of traditional Chinese medicine on the prognosis of COVID-19 in cancer patients: a questionnaire-based survey

INTRODUCTION: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, exacerbated by the emergence of new variants such as Omicron, has posed significant challenges to healthcare systems worldwide. This study aimed to explore the potential effectiveness of long-term traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) use on COVID-19 infection and post-infection symptoms in cancer patients. METHODOLOGY: An anonymous online questionnaire was used to interview cancer patients who had used TCM (TCM group) and those who had never used TCM (non-TCM group) from March 31 to April 30,2023. A self-reported questionnaire was developed to investigate and analyze the patients' demography, underlying cancer types, treatment (TCM or non-TCM), clinical symptoms, and post-acute COVID-19 related symptoms. RESULTS: A total of 996 cancer patients participated (607 TCM, 389 non-TCM). The non-TCM group had a higher infection rate (84.1% vs. 75.8%, p = 0.002). The TCM group reported significantly lower levels of post-COVID-19 symptoms at 3 months post-infection. Specifically, 98.0% of the TCM group reported no fatigue (91.7% in the non-TCM group, p < 0.001), and 98.7% reported no sleep difficulties (88.7% in the non-TCM group, p < 0.001). The median infection duration was 7 days in both groups, median body temperature was 38.2 °C in TCM and 38.3 °C in non-TCM group, and the fever duration was 2 days in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: There was a potential association between long-term TCM use and improved COVID-19 outcomes among cancer patients. Further research is essential to validate these findings and decipher the underlying mechanisms.