ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: It has been recognized that the traditional herbal treatment and daoyin exercises(physical and breathing exercise) can relieve the symptoms such as tiredness of cancer patients and strengthen the tolerance to chemical drugs. But the criterion of quantitative evaluation for the effect should be scientific.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of Chinese herb for strengthening the body resistance and daoyin exercises on the survival state of lung cancer patients with the evaluation scale of life quality.DESIGN: Non-randomized and concurrent controlled trial.SETTING: Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Clinical Cancer Research Center, Guangzhou Medical College;Zhaoqing First People's Hospital.PARTICIPANTS: Totally 60 inpatients of the Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine of Clinical Cancer Research Center of Guangzhou Medical College were enrolled from October 1997 to March 2001 in the study. All of them were volunteers. There were 41 males and 19 females, 30 patients in the treatment group and 30 in the control group.METHODS: The treatment group was given chemical therapy, at the same time, the herbal treatment and daoyin exercises. The control group was given chemical therapy only. The same chemical therapy was applied to both groups. The appointed doctor familiar with the evaluation table of quality of life was responsible for evaluating the quality of life of the patients in the two groups before and after treatment and the observation of their accomplishment of chemical therapy. The evaluation table of quality of life of Chinese lung cancer patients was used in the evaluation. The table included 5 factors: the physiological state caused by lung cancer, social/family state, relation of altitude towards doctor and disease, emotional state, and functional state. The statistical analysis was done to see the accomplishment of chemical therapy of two groups.chemical therapy of the two groups.RESULTS: According to the intention-to-treat analysis, 60 patients all completed the whole process of study. The comparison of the score before physiological state after treatment was obviously lower than that before treatment[ (14. 1 ± 3.2), (31.7 ±2.9) scores, P ＜ 0.01] and of control state was obviously higher than that before treatment[(25.2±3.1),(12.2 ±2.3)scores, P ＜0.01] and of control group[(19.1 ±2.2) scores,after treatment was obviously higher than that before treatment[ (37.4 ± 5.2),(24.2 ±3.5) scores, P ＜0. 01 ]and of control group[ (29. 1 ±3.4)scores, P before treatment[ (43.8 ± 5.6), (28.5 ± 4. 7) scores, P ＜ 0. 01 ] and of tional state after treatment was obviously higher than that of before treatment [(26.3±2.3), (17.3±3.3) scores, P ＜ 0.01] and of control group [ (20. 3 ± 1.1) scores, P ＜ 0. 05] . The accomplishment rate of chemical control group, 26 patients accomplished 1 course(87%, 26/30) and 18rate of 2 courses of chemical therapy of treatment group was obviously higher than that of control group ( P ＜ 0.05 ).CONCLUSION: The herbal treatment combined with daoyin exercises can improve the tolerance of lung cancer patients for chemical therapy and relieve the symptoms, thus improving their quality of life.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of chemotherapy assisted with shenqi fuzheng injection (SFI) on senile patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and twenty old patients with NSCLC were treated with NP chemotherapeutic protocol, to the 60 patients in the treated group among them, additional medication of SFI was started one week before the beginning of chemotherapy. The short-term therapeutic efficacy, long-term survival rate, changes on quality of life (QOL) and immune function of patients, and hematological toxicity of therapy were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Difference between the two groups on short-term therapeutic effect, 1- and 2-year survival rate showed no significance (P>0.05), but the 3-year survival rate in the treated group was 26.6%, while that in the control group was 11.7%, showed that the former was higher than the latter. After treatment QOL of the treated group was better than that of the control (P<0.05). Besides, the hematological toxicity and affection on immune function of chemotherapy after treatment in the treated group were all lower than those in the control group showing significant difference (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>SFI has definite toxicity relieving effect on chemotherapy in treating senile NSCLC.</p>