Clinical study on long-term overall survival of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients treated with Chinese medicine and Western medicine / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the prognostic influence on long-term overall survival (OS) from treatment with Chinese medicine (CM) and chemotherapy or targeted therapy in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of 206 advanced NSCLC patients who were treated with CM and Western medicine in Beijing Cancer Hospital from April 1999 to July 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Long-term survivors were defined as OS ≥ 3 years after treatment with CM and chemotherapy. Twenty-eight patients had OS ≥ 3 years, 178 had OS < 3 years, and all clinical data were statistically analyzed with the Cox model. Variables were gender, age, smoking status, performance status (PS) score, pathological type, clinical stage, first-line chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and use of CM. Univariate survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank sequential inspection. Multivariate survival analysis was used to analyze the meaningful factors of univariate survival analysis with the Cox model.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The survival rate of patients with OS ≥ 3 years was 13.6% (28/206). Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that PS score, clinical stage, disease control rate to first-line chemotherapy, and use of CM were independent factors of longterm OS (all <0.05). However, gender, age, smoking, and use of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine-kinase inhibitor were not significant (P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>PS score, clinical stage, disease control rate to first-line chemotherapy, and use of CM are probably independent prognostic factors for long-term OS in patients with advanced NSCLC.</p>

Prevention and treatment of aromatase inhibitor-associated bone loss by shugan jiangu recipe in postmenopausal women with breast cancer: a clinical study / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of Shugan Jiangu Recipe (SJR) on bone mineral density (BMD) and serum bone metabolic biochemical markers in postmenopausal breast cancer patients with osteopenia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally 38 patients of postmenopausal women with breast cancer, who received aromatase inhibitors (AIs), were assigned to the treatment group (21 cases) and the control group (17 cases) by using random digit table. All patients took Caltrate D Tablet (containing Ca 600 mg and Vit D3 125 IU), one tablet daily. Patients in the treatment group took SJR, 6 g each time, twice daily for 6 successive months. The bone mineral density (BMD) level was detected before treatment and at months 6 after treatment. Levels of bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP), bone gla protein (BGP), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), and C-terminal telopeptide of type II collagen (CTX-II) were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The drug safety was also assessed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with before treatment, BMD of L2-4 and femur neck obviously increased in the treatment group at month 6 after treatment (P < 0.01), serum BALP and TRAP decreased (P < 0.05). Compared with before treatment, BMD of L2-4 and femur neck obviously decreased in the control group at month 6 after treatment (P < 0.05), serum BALP and TRAP increased (P < 0.01). Compared with the control group, lumbar and femur neck BMD obviously increased, serum levels of BGP and BALP obviously decreased, and serum levels of CTX-II and TRAP obviously increased in the treatment group at month 6 after treatment (P < 0.01). No serious adverse event occurred during the treatment period. Bone fracture occurred in one case of the control group (5.8%).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>SJR could attenuate bone loss of postmenopausal women with breast cancer who received AIs, increase BMD and improve abnormal bone metabolism.</p>

Effects of combined Chinese drugs and chemotherapy in treating advanced non-small cell lung cancer / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficacy and side effects of combined Chinese drugs and chemotherapy in treating advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty-three patients with stage III B and IV NSCLC hospitalized from October 2001 to October 2008 were enrolled and assigned to two groups using a randomizing digital table, with 33 patients in the treatment group and 30 in the control group. They were all treated with the Navelbine and Cisplatin (NP) chemotherapy, but to the treatment group the Chinese drugs Shengmai Injection () by intravenous dripping and Gujin Granule () by oral intake were given additionally. The main observation indexes were response rate (RR), median survival time, 1-year survival rate and median time to progression (TTP); secondary observation indexes were side effects and cycles of chemotherapy.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Altogether, 61 patients (33 from the treatment group and 28 from the control group) completed the observation and were assessable. RR was 48.5% (16/33) in the treatment group and 32.2% (9/28) in the control group, and the median survival time were 13 months and 9 months, respectively; the difference between the two groups was significant (P=0.0373 and P=0.014 respectively). However, the differences between groups were insignificant in terms of 1-year survival rate [51.5% (17/33) vs 46.4% (13/28), P=0.4042], median TTP (5.95 months vs 4.64 months, P=0.3242), grade III or IV bone marrow inhibition occurrence rate [33.3% (11/33) vs 39.3% (11/28), P=0.3500], and mean cycles of chemotherapy applied (2.94+/-0.94 cycles vs 2.75+/-0.75 cycles, P=0.4100).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Combined Chinese drugs and chemotherapy can enhance the short-term therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of NSCLC and prolong patients' median survival time, but show no evident impact on TTP.</p>