title: Dietary therapy of qi-yin-reinforcing porridge for the alleviation of chemotherapy related symptoms of gastrointestinal tumors: a single-case randomized controlled study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the efficacy of dietary therapy of qi-yin-reinforcing porridge for the alleviation of clinical symptoms during FOLFOX chemotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A single-case randomized controlled study was carried out. Fourteen patients with gastrointestinal tumors accepting FOLFOX chemotherapy were enrolled using self-crossover control design. On days 1-7 of chemotherapy, the dietary therapy experimental group and the placebo control group were given dietary therapy of qi-yin-reinforcing porridge and dextrin-prepared porridge which had the same appearance, smell, color and taste as the qi-yin-reinforcing porridge, respectively. Fourteen clinical symptoms, including debility, vomiting and nausea, etc. were observed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ten patients completed the study and were estimable. The qi-yin-reinforcing porridge demonstrated certain efficacy in alleviating clinical symptoms of patients with gastrointestinal tumors during the period of chemotherapy. Better effect of alleviating debility was found in the dietary therapy experimental group than in the placebo control group, and the difference was statistically significant (Z=2.27, P=0.02). No statistically significant difference was found between the experimental group and the control group with respect to the effect of alleviating the other 13 clinical symptoms including anorexia, nausea, vomiting, dry stool, loose stool, etc. and body weight (P>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dietary therapy of qi-yin-reinforcing porridge shows an additional benefit in alleviating debility of patients during chemotherapy and deserves clinical use and popularization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Cheng-he
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Yu-fei
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liao
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D031742:Coix; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012275:Oryza
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal