Clinical evaluation of oral Fructus bruceae oil combined with radiotherapy for the treatment of esophageal cancer.
- Author:
Guo-yong SHAN
1
;
Song ZHANG
;
Guo-wen LI
;
Yong-shun CHEN
;
Xing-an LIU
;
Jian-kun WANG
Author Information
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- MeSH: Administration, Oral; Combined Modality Therapy; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; administration & dosage; adverse effects; therapeutic use; Esophageal Neoplasms; drug therapy; radiotherapy; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Phytotherapy; Quassia; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome
- From: Chinese journal of integrative medicine 2011;17(12):933-936
- CountryChina
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVETo evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and side effects of oral Fructus bruceae oil combined with radiotherapy in the treatment of esophageal cancer.
METHODSA total of 80 patients with esophageal cancer were equally and randomly divided into two groups. The patients in Group A were treated with radiotherapy (60-65 Gy, 6-7 weeks) and oral Fructus bruceae oil (20 mL, 3 times per day for 12 weeks), while the patients in Group B were treated with radiotherapy alone. The short-term effect was evaluated by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) and quality of life (QOL) was evaluated by the Karnofsky scoring (KFS). The outcome measures included complete remission (CR) rate, partial remission (PR) rate, effective rate as CR+PR, patients' QOL and adverse effects.
RESULTSAfter 12-week treatment, the CR and CR+PR were significantly higher in Group A than those in Group B (P <0.05). There was an improvement in esophageal obstruction of 87.5% and 60.0%, respectively, and in KFS of 84.6% and 43.9%, respectively, in Groups A and B.
CONCLUSIONOral medication with oral Fructus bruceae oil could effectively improve the efficacy of radiotherapy in esophageal cancer, including a reduction in esophageal obstruction, and also reduce the side effects of radiotherapy; thus it would be very promising for clinical application.
