ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE：To provide reference for the R&D of TCM patents for treating gastric cancer and layout. METHODS：TCM patents for treating gastric cancer collected by the State Intellectual Property Office and the European Patent Office Espacenet were retrieved from the inception to Dec. 31st， 2019. After the initial examination ，a second search was conducted based on the keywords such as “Stomachache”“Fuliang” “Accumulation”“Cancer of stomach ”“Gastric”and their synonyms. Each literature was read one by one and screened manually. Excel 2007 software was used to input general information of included patents. SPSS modeler 15.0 software and SPSS 22.0 software were used for association rule analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis of TCM used more than 30 times and top 30 frequently used. Based on patent analysis ，internal strength （S），weakness（W），external opportunity （O）and threat （T）of TCM for treating gastric cancer were analyzed ；based on this ，four different types of combination strategies were formulated. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS ：Finally，385 patents were obtained ，including 379 domestic patents （98.44％） and 6 foreign patents （1.56％）. The number of patent applications and applicants of TCM for treating gastric cancer in China was on the rise during 1994-2016. The commonly used TCM for treating gastric cancer were mainly tonifying deficiency drugs and heat clearing drugs ， and the meridian tropism were mostly the stomach meridian and spleen meridian. According to the efficacy ，the commonly used drug combinations include the combination of tonifying spleen and Qi ，the combination of anti-cancer and detoxification ，and the combination of drying dampness and resolving phlegm. The results of hierarchical cluster analysis showed that Poria cocos ， Atractylodes macrocephala ，Astragalus membranaceus ，Scutellaria barbata ，Hedyotis diffusa and Glycyrrhiza uralensis were clustered into one category and the common combination for treating gastric cancer. The remaining cluster distributions are also in line with the characteristics of TCM syndrome differentiation and treatment. Strength of domestic TCM patents for treating gastric cancer were that the number of patents in China was taking a leading position in the world ，the patent system of key applicants was mature，the combination of compound patents embodied the characteristics of disease and dialectical theory. Weakness included low patent authorization rate ，to-be-improved effectiveness and safety studies of TCM patents ，weak development of TCM extract patents，low degree of patent internationalization and hanging same-family patents. Opportunities were that the demand for drugs for gastric cancer was increasing with each passing day ，and natione actively support the development of the TCM industry. Threats were that competitors in the international market had the potential to seize the market. The development of TCM for treating gastric cancer in China should take market demand and national policy support as an opportunity ，learn from TCM patent characteristic system of key applicants ，continue to give full play to the advantages of TCM in prevention and syndrome differentiation of disease，pay more efforts to the development of weak links such as TCM extracts ，safety and effectiveness ，improve the international competitiveness in the field of patents ，while establish a warning and navigation analysis system for patents to effectively reduce the intellectual property threats and risks of invention patents of China in the international environment.