Effect of ruji recipe on the post-surgical survival of female breast cancer patients / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effect of Ruji Recipe (RR) in preventing disease recurrence/metastasis and improving quality of life (QOL) for female breast cancer patients after operation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally 102 female patients with stage I - III breast cancer were retrospectively analyzed. They were assigned to the treatment group (54 cases) and the control group (48 cases) according to whether they would rather accept RR therapy. Estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor (ER/PR) positive patients also accepted endocrine therapy. The overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), recurrence and metastasis, and QOL were compared between the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Totally 100 patients completed the study. The median follow-up was 59 months. The median OS was 60 months in the treatment group and 52.5 months in the control group (chi2 = 3.274, P > 0.05). The median DFS was 55.0 months in the treatment group and 47.5 months in the control group (chi2 = 10.145, P < 0.01). The DFS rate was 75.9% (41/54) in the treatment group and 54.3% (25/46) in the control group (chi2 = -2.259, P < 0.05). There was statistical difference in the 2-, 3-, and 5-year DFS between the two groups (P < 0.01). There was statistical difference in the 2-year DFS 3-year DFS between stage II and III and stage III (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). There was statistical difference in the ER positive patients between 2-year DFS and 3-year DFS (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). There was statistical difference in the 3-and 5-year distant metastasis rate (DMR) in the treatment group, lower than that of the control group (3.7% vs 31.0%, 20.7% vs 60.7%; P < 0.01). By the end of follow-up, disease progression occurred in 13 cases of the treatment group, local recurrence in 3 cases, single organ metastasis in 7 cases, multi-metastasis in 3 cases, while the corresponding numbers were 21, 1, 11, and 9 in the control group (P < 0.05). As for 1 week before study and at 2-year follow-up using Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy for Breast Cancer (FACT-B) system, there was statistical difference in the QOL between the two groups (P < 0.05), and better effect was obtained in the treatment group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>RR, as an assistant therapy, could improve the OS rate, the DFS rate, and the QOL for post-surgical female breast cancer patients in 2 -3 years.</p>

Treatment of middle/late stage primary hepatic carcinoma by Chinese medicine comprehensive therapy: A prospective randomized controlled study / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the efficacy of Chinese medicine comprehensive therapeutic project in treating the middle/late stage primary hepatic carcinoma (PHC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>With prospective randomized controlled design, 97 patients with PHC were assigned to the test group (49 cases) treated with Chinese medicine comprehensive therapy using Oleum fructus bruceas intervention combining oral intake of Ganji Decoction and external application of Ailitong, and the control group (48 cases) treated with chemotherapeutic agents combining iodized oil chemo-embolization and analgesics. The immediate and long-term efficacy, adverse reaction, pain-relieving initial time (PRIT) and pain-relieving sustained time (PRST) of the treatment, as well as the change in relieving patients' quality of life (QOL) were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The difference between the two groups in illness control rate was statistically insignificant (P>0.05), but the adverse reaction occurrence rate in the test group was lesser than that in the control group (P<0.05). PRIT was insignificantly different in the two groups (P>0.05), but the PRST was significantly superior in the test group than that in the control group (10.37+/-2.18 h vs 7.78+/-1.95 h, P<0.01). After treatment, the increased Karnofsky scores in the test group indicated that the patients' somatic activity, symptoms and QOL were improved significantly, which were significantly superior to those in the control group (P<0.05). The survival rate in the two groups was similar at the 3rd month after treatment, but the test group did show superiority in terms of half- and 1-year survival rate (65.9% vs 42.5% and 38.6% vs 18.1%, respectively, P<0.05). The median survival time in the test group was 8.9 months and that in the control group was 5.3 months.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Chinese medicine comprehensive therapy is an effective treatment for the middle/late stage patients of PHC, and it could extend the PRST, improve the patients' QOL and long-term survival with less adverse reaction.</p>

Effect of ganji recipe combined with Fructus Bruceae oil emulsion intervention on quality of life in patients with advanced primary hepatic cancer / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe and compare the quality of life (QOL) and survival time in patients with advanced primary hepatic cancer (PHC) after they have been treated by the combination of ganji recipe and interventional therapy with Fructus Bruceae Oil Emulsion (FBE) or by the trans-hepatic arterial chemical embolization (TACE) adopting Seldinger's technique.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Seventy-seven patients with advanced PHC were randomly assigned to two groups, 37 patients in the control group treated with TACE alone, and 40 in the treatment group with the combined therapy. One therapeutic course was 4 weeks, and the intervention therapy was repeated generally after an interval of 4-6 weeks according to patients'condition ,the average intervention frequency was 2.3 for one case. The QOL and the survival time in patients were evaluated after treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Significant difference was shown in the changes of the Karnofsky score between the two groups (P < 0.05). The scores suggested that the improvements in the treatment group, including patients'physical energy enhancing, symptoms alleviating and overall QOL improving, were superior to those in the control group (P < 0.05). No significant difference of the 3-month survival rate between the two groups was found (P > 0.05), but the 0.5- and 1-year survival rate were significantly superior in the treatment group to those in the control group (67.6% vs. 42.4% and 38.2% vs. 16.1%, respectively). The median survival time in the two groups was 8.9 and 5.3 months respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Combination of ganji recipe and interventional therapy with FBE in treating PHC could improve patients' QOL, raise the 0.5- and 1-year survival rate, and prolong the survival time, suggesting TCM treatment has an affirmative significance for enhancing the therapeutic efficacy and improving the prognosis in patients.</p>

Effect of Fructus Bruceae oil emulsion on cellular immune function and quality of life in patients with non-small cell lung cancer / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effect of Fructus Bruceae oil emulsion (FBE) on cellular immune function (CIF) and quality of life (QOF) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after chemotherapy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and fifteen patients with mid-late stage NSCLC were randomly assigned to two groups, the 57 patients in the control group were only treated with chemotherapy of GP regimen, 58 in the treatment group with the chemotherapy of the same regimen and combined with FBE. The clinical efficacy was evaluated after two cycles of chemotherapy.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The effective rate was 51.8% and 47.4% in the treatment group and the control group respectively, the difference between them was insignificant (P > 0.05). CIF and QOF in the treatment group were better than those in the control group after chemotherapy respectively (P < 0.01), in the latter, CIF and QOF were desreased after chemotherapy (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>FBE combined with chemotherapy can improve the cellular immune function and quality of life in patients with mid-late stage NSCLC.</p>