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.