Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndromes are Associated with Driver Gene Mutations and Clinical Characteristics in Patients with Lung Adenocarcinoma

This study aimed to investigate the associations between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes and driver gene mutations as well as the clinical characteristics of patients with lung adenocarcinoma. We performed a cross-sectional study in patients with lung adenocarcinoma between June 2020 and October 2021. The patient characteristics, such as age, sex, smoking history, clinical stage, metastasis, driver gene mutations, and the type of traditional Chinese medicine syndrome/element, were collected. The associations between each TCM syndrome and sex, smoking history, clinical stage, metastasis, and driver gene mutations were analyzed. The present study included 127 patients. The most frequent TCM syndromes were Qi and Yin deficiency (39, 30.7%) and lung-spleen Qi deficiency (32, 25.2%). Eighty-one (63.8%) patients had mutations in driver genes, especially in the EGFR gene (64, 79.0%). There was a statistically significant association between a driver gene mutation and TCM syndrome (P < 0.05). Genetic mutations presented more frequently in patients with Qi and Yin deficiency (37.0%), lung-spleen Qi deficiency (30.0%), or the cold element (59.3%). Male patients were more likely to have Qi stagnation and blood stasis, whereas female patients were more likely to have lung-spleen Qi deficiency or Qi and Yin deficiency. The patients with lung-spleen Qi deficiency were usually younger than those with Qi and Yin deficiency or Qi stagnation and blood stasis (P < 0.05). Compared with the patients with other TCM syndromes, the patients with Yin and Yang deficiency were more likely to have bone metastasis. TCM syndromes were associated with driver gene mutations, sex, age, and bone metastasis in patients with lung adenocarcinoma.