REVIEW article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Health Economics
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1669751
This article is part of the Research TopicHealth Economic Evaluation in Cancer Prevention and ControlView all 3 articles
Cost Analysis and Cost-Effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Lung Cancer: A Scoping Review
Provisionally accepted
Ran An1*
Gangqiang Su2- 1Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100700, China, Beijing, China
- 2Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China, Nanjing, China
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Background: Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) comprising the majority of cases. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been increasingly integrated into lung cancer care, particularly in East Asia, but its economic impact remains unclear. Methods: A scoping review was conducted to synthesize evidence on the cost and cost-effectiveness of TCM for lung cancer. PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched from inception to July 2025. Eligible studies included economic evaluations comparing TCM with non-TCM treatments or conventional therapies. Outcomes included direct costs, incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs), and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Results: Eight studies met the inclusion criteria, including cohort studies, cross-sectional analyses, and one randomized controlled trial. The included studies spanned from 2003 to 2024, with data primarily from Taiwan and China. Findings were mixed: some studies reported higher total costs for TCM users due to additive, rather than substitutive use alongside conventional therapies. However, several studies demonstrated favorable ICERs for TCM, especially when administered over longer durations. One study showed an ICER of NT$880,908 per life-year gained, well below Taiwan's willingness-to-pay threshold. Outpatient TCM use was often more cost-effective than inpatient care, and herbal medicine appeared more economical than patent medicine. Conclusion: Adjunctive TCM may be cost-effective in lung cancer treatment when integrated thoughtfully within national healthcare systems. Cost outcomes vary by care setting, modality, and region. Future standardized, prospective evaluations are warranted to guide the efficient integration of TCM in oncology.
Keywords: economic evaluation, lung cancer, Traditional Chinese Medicine, cost, cost-effectiveness analysis
Received: 20 Jul 2025; Accepted: 29 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 An and Su. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ran An, dr.ran.an.90@gmail.com
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.