ABSTRACT
Objective A retrospective study was carried out to investigate the survival rate of nasopharyngeal cancer patients after the combined treatment of chemoradiotherapy and Chinese herbal medicine. Methods Based on the will of the patients, 230 cases were divided into treatment group (N=107) and control group (N=123). Both groups received chemoradiotherapy, and the treatment group was additionally given oral use of Chinese herbal medicine over 180 doses per year, and the treatment lasted over 2 years. The survival rate was calculated by Kaplan-Meier estimator, and the Kaplan-Meier plot for the two groups was compared. Results (1) In the treatment group, the one-year, 3-year and 5-year survival rate was 99.1%, 86.4%, 72.5%, and was 95.9%, 73.5%, 58.3% respectively in the control group. The Kaplan-Meier plot showed that significant difference of patient survival was presented in the two groups ( P<0.01) . ( 2) The results of hierarchical group analysis of 230 nasopharyngeal cancer patients showed higher survival rate can be achieved in the T3-4 and N0 poorly-differentiated squamous carcinoma patients aged 50 years or more at the stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ in the treatment group than that in the control group, and the statistical differences were significant ( P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusion Chemoradiotherapy combined with Chinese herbal medicine can increase the survival rate, and prolong life span of the nasopharyngeal carcinoma patinets, in particular for the T3-4 and N0 poorly-differentiated squamous carcinoma patients aged 50 years or more at the stageⅢ-Ⅳ.
