[Clinical evaluation of integration of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and traditional Chinese medicine in treating metastatic liver cancer].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the treatment effect, quality of life and side-effect of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in treating metastatic liver cancer.


METHODS
Thirty-nine cases of colon metastatic liver cancer were randomly divided into two groups. Both TACE and TCM were used in the treatment group, while only TACE was used in the control group. The drug used in TACE included floxuridine, pirarubicin, cisplatin, and the herbs for strengthening the spleen and regulating Qi were used in TCM.


RESULTS
The response rate in the treatment group was 30% (45% including minor remission patients), and the median survival time was 18.6 months. While in the control group the response rate was 15.8% (36.8% including minor remission patients), and the median survival time was 14.3 months. The 1-, 2-, 3- year survival rates of treatment group and the control group were 70.2%, 40.3%, 13.0% and 68.7%, 29.5%, 10.3% respectively. There were fewer other organ metastases in the treatment group. The score from the EORTC quality of life questionnaire QLQ-C30 in treatment group was higher than that in the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
Integration of TACE and TCM in treating colon metastatic liver cancer has better results.
Meng
Zhi-Qiang
ZQ
Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Cancer Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China. mengzhq@sina.com
Xu
Yi-Yu
YY
Liu
Lu-Ming
LM
Song
Ming-Zhi
MZ
Huang
Wen-Xia
WX
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002404:Catheterization / Q000379:methods; D016461:Chemoembolization, Therapeutic / Q000379:methods*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal