OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of Shenqi Fuzheng injection (SQFZI) combined with docetaxcl, flurouracil and calcium folinate in treating advanced gastric carcinoma, and to evaluate the action of SQFZI for enhancing therapeutic effect and alleviating adverse reaction of chemotherapy.

METHODSSixty advanced gastric cancer patients were assigned to two groups randomly, the control group treated with chemotherapy alone and the treated group treated with SQFZI combined chemotherapy. Chemotherapy regimens (TFC) was given to all patients consisting of docetaxel 75 mg/m2 intravenous dripping on the 1st day, flurouracil (5-FU) 350 mg/m2 and calcium folinate (CF) 120 mg/m2 intravenous dripping with micro-pump continuously from day 1 to 5, for 21-28 days as a cycle. To patients in the treated group, starting from 3 days before chemotherapy, SQFZI 250 mL was dripped every day for 14 successive days. The clinic effects were evaluated after two-cycle treatment.

RESULTSThe short-term effective rate was 40.0% in the treated group and 33.3% in the control group. As compared with those in the control group, patients in the treated group after treatment had a higher Karnofsky score (chi2 = 7.21, P < 0.05) and body weight (chi2 = 11.47, P < 0.05), lesser adverse reactions in decreasing of peripheral blood leucocyte, damage of peripheral nerve, adverse reaction of gastrointestinal tract, as well as better immune function.

CONCLUSIONSQFZI could effectively improve the clinical symptoms induced by chemotherapy regimen TFC, alleviate the adverse reaction, raise patients' quality of life and their immune function.