OBJECTIVETo compare the efficacy and adverse reaction of chemotherapy in CHOP protocol (CT-CHOP) alone or compared with Shenqi Fuzheng injection (SFI) for treatment of moderate malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

METHODSSixty patients were divided into 2 groups, the treated group (n = 32) treated with CT-CHOP plus SFI for 5.7 cycles on average and the control group (n = 28) treated with CT-CHOP alone for 5.6 cycles on average.

RESULTSIn the treated group, 18 patients were completely remitted (CR), 4 were partially remitted (PR), 7 were unchanged (NC), 3 were progressively deteriorated (PD), with the total remission rate of 68.8%, while in the control group, 13 were CR, 4 PR, 7 NC and 4 PD, the total remission rate being 60.7%. After treatment, the levels of CD3, CD4 and CD4/CD8 increased and CD8 decreased significantly in the treated group (P <0.05). Patients' quality of life (QOL) in the treated group was improved more obviously than that in the control group (P < 0.01), and the incidence rate of adverse reaction as leucopenia, neurotoxicity, and cardiac toxicity were lower in the treated group than those in the control group (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONShenqi Fuzheng injection combined with CT-CHOP on malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphoma can reduce the adverse reaction of chemotherapy, ameliorate the compliance of patients to chemotherapy, and improve the immune function and QOL of patients.