title: [Effect of ruji recipe on the post-surgical survival of female breast cancer patients].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the effect of Ruji Recipe (RR) in preventing disease recurrence/metastasis and improving quality of life (QOL) for female breast cancer patients after operation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Totally 102 female patients with stage I - III breast cancer were retrospectively analyzed. They were assigned to the treatment group (54 cases) and the control group (48 cases) according to whether they would rather accept RR therapy. Estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor (ER/PR) positive patients also accepted endocrine therapy. The overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), recurrence and metastasis, and QOL were compared between the two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Totally 100 patients completed the study. The median follow-up was 59 months. The median OS was 60 months in the treatment group and 52.5 months in the control group (chi2 = 3.274, P > 0.05). The median DFS was 55.0 months in the treatment group and 47.5 months in the control group (chi2 = 10.145, P < 0.01). The DFS rate was 75.9% (41/54) in the treatment group and 54.3% (25/46) in the control group (chi2 = -2.259, P < 0.05). There was statistical difference in the 2-, 3-, and 5-year DFS between the two groups (P < 0.01). There was statistical difference in the 2-year DFS 3-year DFS between stage II and III and stage III (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). There was statistical difference in the ER positive patients between 2-year DFS and 3-year DFS (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). There was statistical difference in the 3-and 5-year distant metastasis rate (DMR) in the treatment group, lower than that of the control group (3.7% vs 31.0%, 20.7% vs 60.7%; P < 0.01). By the end of follow-up, disease progression occurred in 13 cases of the treatment group, local recurrence in 3 cases, single organ metastasis in 7 cases, multi-metastasis in 3 cases, while the corresponding numbers were 21, 1, 11, and 9 in the control group (P < 0.05). As for 1 week before study and at 2-year follow-up using Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy for Breast Cancer (FACT-B) system, there was statistical difference in the QOL between the two groups (P < 0.05), and better effect was obtained in the treatment group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RR, as an assistant therapy, could improve the OS rate, the DFS rate, and the QOL for post-surgical female breast cancer patients in 2 -3 years.
authors.affiliation: No.2 Department of Oncology, Foshan Hospital of TCM, Guangdong 528000, China. thq63@21cn.com
authors.forename: Hua-Qin
authors.initials: HQ
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: No.2 Department of Oncology, Foshan Hospital of TCM, Guangdong 528000, China.
authors.forename: Yan-Jie
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: No.2 Department of Oncology, Foshan Hospital of TCM, Guangdong 528000, China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: No.2 Department of Oncology, Foshan Hospital of TCM, Guangdong 528000, China.
authors.forename: Yong-Li
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: No.2 Department of Oncology, Foshan Hospital of TCM, Guangdong 528000, China.
authors.forename: Hong-Liang
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: No.2 Department of Oncology, Foshan Hospital of TCM, Guangdong 528000, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Qing
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: No.2 Department of Oncology, Foshan Hospital of TCM, Guangdong 528000, China.
authors.forename: Xue-Chen
authors.initials: XC
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: No.2 Department of Oncology, Foshan Hospital of TCM, Guangdong 528000, China.
authors.forename: Yao-Lin
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000517:prevention & control; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000517:prevention & control; D008517:Phytotherapy; D011184:Postoperative Period; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal