title: Chinese herbal medicine as maintenance therapy for improving the quality of life for advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the study was to assess the efficacy and safety of using Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) as maintenance therapy considering the survival of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients after first-line conventional platinum-based chemotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  An open-label, randomized, controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four hospitals in China.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 106 patients were eligible and randomly divided into two groups from four hospitals in China. Both groups received the best supporting care (BSC). Additionally, patients in the trial group were given CHM every day until the disease became aggravated or the patients resigned. The study took both progression-free survival (PFS) and quality of life (QOL) as the primary outcomes to comprehensively evaluate the effect of the treatment. QOL was measured by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung (FACT-L) 4.0 questionnaire. Side effects and safety were evaluated at the same time.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 106 patients, 99 completed the study. After treatment and follow-up for PFS, there were no significant differences in the median PFS time and the 6-month PFS probability between the two groups. However, the 3-month PFS probability in the trial group was significantly higher than that in the control group (FAS, PPS: P<0.01). For QOL, there were significant differences between the two groups in the following: physical well-being, emotional well-being, functional well-being, lung cancer symptom domain and total score of the FACT-L4.0 (FAS, PPS: P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the social well-being domain. No serious adverse side effects to the treatment were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CHM is well tolerated and may improve the QOL of advanced NSCLC patients. CHM is worth studying in future investigations.
authors: Department of Oncology, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, No.23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100010, China.
authors: Yan
authors: Y
authors: Han
authors: Department of Oncology, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, No.23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100010, China.
authors: Huan
authors: H
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Oncology, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, No.23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100010, China.
authors: Weiru
authors: W
authors: Xu
authors: Department of Oncology, Beijing Friendship Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University, No.95 Yongan Road, Xicheng District, Beijing 100050, China.
authors: Bangwei
authors: B
authors: Cao
authors: Department of Oncology, Daxing Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University, No.26 Huangcun West Street, Daxing District, Beijing 12600, China.
authors: Lei
authors: L
authors: Han
authors: Department of Integrative Medicine in Oncology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, No.2 Yinghuayuan East Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100029, China.
authors: Liqun
authors: L
authors: Jia
authors: Department of Oncology, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, No.23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100010, China.
authors: Yongmei
authors: Y
authors: Xu
authors: Department of Oncology, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, No.23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100010, China.
authors: Qing
authors: Q
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Oncology, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, No.23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100010, China.
authors: Xiaoming
authors: X
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Oncology, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, No.23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100010, China.
authors: Ganlin
authors: G
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Oncology, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, No.23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100010, China.
authors: Mingwei
authors: M
authors: Yu
authors: Department of Oncology, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, No.23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100010, China. Electronic address: guowang_yang@163.com.
authors: Guowang
authors: G
authors: Yang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D002681:China; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal
keywords: Chinese herbal medicine; Maintenance therapy; Non-small cell lung cancer; Progression-free survival; Quality of life; Treatment according to syndrome differentiation