title: Treatment of middle/late stage primary hepatic carcinoma by Chinese medicine comprehensive therapy: A prospective randomized controlled study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the efficacy of Chinese medicine comprehensive therapeutic project in treating the middle/late stage primary hepatic carcinoma (PHC).
  
  
  METHODS
  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.
  
  
  RESULTS
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Foshan Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangdong (528000), China. wangbin_19792003@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Hua-qin
authors.initials: HQ
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Hong-liang
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Gui-wen
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Xiao-qing
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Zhi-qing
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Jiang-ming
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: Yu-ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xue-Zhang
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yin-song
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000008:administration & dosage; D032269:Brucea; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016461:Chemoembolization, Therapeutic / Q000379:methods; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C552036:ailitong; C552035:ganji
references.citation: Radiology. 1983 Aug;148(2):397-401
references.pmid: 6306721