OBJECTIVETo observe the therapeutic efficacy of Danggui Buxue Decoction No.1 in treating patients of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at the peri-operational stage and its impact on the patients' immune function.

METHODSEighty-two NSCLC patients were randomly assigned to two groups equally, the control group and the test group, they were given conventional treatment, while to the test group, DB1 were given additionally. The observation was conducted by testing the changes of T-lymphocyte subsets, natural killer (NK) cell activity, serum levels of immunoglobulin (IgA, IgM, IgG), interleukin-2 (IL-2), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), cytokeratin fragment 19 (CYFRA21-1) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in NSCLC patients before and after administration of DB1, and analyzing the patients' general condition.

RESULTSThe level of CD3(+), CD4(+), the ratio of CD4 and CD8(+), IgA, IgM, IgG and IL-2 decreased in patients with NSCLC on day 1 after operation, and the level of CD8 and TNF-alpha increased compared to pre-operation. While the levels of CD3(+), CD4(+), CD4 /CD8(+), NK cell activity, serum IgA, IgM, IgG, IL-2 began to elevate, CD8 and TNF-alpha levels began to decline in patients administered with DB1 on day 3 after the operation, earlier than patients who did not use the decoction. The level of CYFRA21-1 and CEA, was immediately decreased after operation in both groups.

CONCLUSIONSApplying DB1 to NSCLC patients at an early post-operational stage could alleviate the impairment and accelerate the recovery of immune function of patients to enhance their immunity. DB1 also shows an anti-tumor action to a certain degree.