title: [Clinical observation on effect of shaogen decoction for the prevention and treatment of acute radiation esophagitis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the effect of Shaogen Decoction (SGD) for the prevention and treatment of acute radiation esophagitis (ARE).
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty patients with breast tumor receiving chemo/radiotherapy were assigned to two groups, the SGD group and the control group. The patients in the SGD group were administered with SGD, a Chinese preparation consisted of Radix Sophorae tonkinensis 10 g, Radix Paeoniae Alba 30 g, Radix Scrophulariae 15 g, Rhizoma Bletillae 15 g, Radix Notoginseng 3 g, etc., starting from the initial day of radiotherapy, 10 mL, thrice a day, while in case of 2nd or over 2nd grade ARE occurred, it was changed to 10 mL, every 2 h, medicated by keeping in mouth and slowly swallowed followed with 5-min forbiddance of food and water. The patients in the control group were treated, in case of 2nd or over 2nd grade ARE occurred, with antibiotic drugs (such as cefuroxime 4.5 g) and hormone (dexamethasone 5 mg) by intravenous infusion for 7 days. The incidence, happening time, and retaining time of ARE, therapeutic effect on it, as well as the proportion of patients for whom antibiotics and hormone were used in the two groups were observed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of 2nd or over 2nd grade ARE in the SGD group and the control group was 33.33% and 63.33%, respectively, that in the former was significantly lower (chi2 = 5.406, P<0.05). Different degrees of acute esophageal toxic response occurred in both groups, initially presenting at 19.8 +/- 7.4 days in the SGD group and at 20.2 +/- 9.6 days in the control group after radiotherapy, that was delayed in the former (t=2.130, P<0.05). Clinical symptom of ARE retained for 56.4 +/- 19.5 days and 58.2 +/- 15.0 days in the two groups, respectively, it was shorter in the SGD groups (t=2.441, P<0.05). Moreover, the proportion of patients for whom antibiotics and hormone were used in the SGD group was less.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SGD acted, in coordinating with chemo-radiotherapy, to reduce the incidence, retard the happening and shorten the retaining time of 2nd or over 2nd grade ARE, and reduce the proportion of patients needing antibiotics and hormone treatment as well, showing equivalent efficacy in treating ARE as Western drugs.
authors.affiliation: The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050011.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D004941:Esophagitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D029596:Paeonia / Q000737:chemistry; D008517:Phytotherapy; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal