title: Chinese medicine herbal treatment based on syndrome differentiation improves the overall survival of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of Chinese medicine (CM) herbal treatment based on syndrome differentiation on patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 94 patients with unresectable HCC were reviewed between June 2008 and June 2011. Survival analysis was performed between patients who received CM with/without non-curative antitumor treatments of Western medicine (WM) (CM group, 30 cases) and patients who were not treated with CM but with non-curative antitumor treatments of WM or supportive treatment alone (non-CM group, 64 cases). Then, survival analysis was performed between patients treated with CM combined with non-curative antitumor treatments of WM (combination therapy group, 25 cases) and patients with non-curative antitumor treatments of WM alone (non-curative antitumor treatments group of WM, 52 cases). The survival analysis was performed by Kaplan-Meier method and prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) were assessed by the Cox proportional hazards regression model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median survival time (MST), 1- and 2-year survival rates of the CM group and the non-CM group were 36 months, 76.7%, 56.1% and 12 months, 48.4%, 26.6%, respectively. The Log-rank test revealed significant difference between the two groups in OS (P<0.01). Cox proportional multivariate analysis revealed that CM was an independent favorable prognostic factor for OS. The MST, 1- and 2-year survival rates of combination therapy group and non-curative antitumor treatments group of WM were 36 months, 76.0%, 55.5% and 13 months, 55.8%, 30.8%, respectively. There was significant difference in OS between the two groups (P=0.004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CM herbs based on syndrome differentiation have positive effects on survival of patients with unresectable HCC. Furthermore, combination therapy of CM and WM are recommended in HCC treatment.
authors.affiliation: Zhong-Shan-Men Inpatient Department, National Clinical Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, 300171, China.
authors.forename: Ya-Nan
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Man
authors.forename: Xiao-Hui
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiong-Zhi
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013577:Syndrome
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal