| Objective:Professor Wu Mianhua who studied with Chinese medicine master professor Zhou Zhongying,has been engaged in treating,teaching,and researching in Chinese medicine for more than three decades and gained rich experience in traditional Chinese medicine for the anti-tumor therapy.This study is based on both Professor Zhou Zhongying's "stagnated heat"theory and Professor Wu Mianhua's clinical experience,which helps determine the commonly utilized traditional Chinese medicine prescription during the head and neck cancer treatment by the radiotherapy,aiming for supplementing qi and nourishing yin,cooling blood and dissipating blood stasis.From the above combination treatment,the clinical efficacies of traditional Chinese medicine can be evaluated objectively in both preventing and treating the side effects caused by the radiotherapy for the head and neck cancer.This study thus will contribute to the exploration of more effective treatments for the head and neck cancer patients to have a higher radiotherapy tolerance and a better life quality.Methods:60 patients with head and neck cancers were selected based on the inclusion criteria.They were randomly divided into treatment group(n=30)and control group(n=30).The control group received radiotherapy alone,whereas the treatment group simultaneously took Chinese medicine,according to the method of supplementing qi and nourishing yin,cooling blood and dissipating blood stasis,twice a day during the morning and evening hour from the beginning to the end of radiotherapy.The symptoms and qualities of life before,within(3 weeks),and after(6 weeks)the treatments in both groups were recorded and compared so as to evaluate the clinical efficacy.All the collected data was analyzed by SPASS 22.0 software package.Results:Within the therapy(3 weeks)and after the therapy(6 weeks),the scores of TCM symptoms in the treatment group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.05).Four symptoms including xerostomia,odynophagia,fatigue,and constipation in the treatment group were remarkably milder than those in the control group(P<0.05).However,there was no significant difference(P>0.05)in nausea,anorexia,tidal fever or night sweating between two groups.No significant difference in radiation-induced skin and mucosal injury or salivary glands dysfunction was observed between two groups(P>0.05)during the therapy(3 weeks).After the therapy(6 weeks),the degrees of mucosal injury and salivary glands dysfunction in the treatment group were less severe than those in the control group(P<0.05).Nevertheless,there was no significant difference in skin injury between two groups(P>0.05).The incidence and severity of myelosuppression in the treatment group were significantly lower than the control group(P<0.05).There was no apparent difference in KPS score and body weight between the two groups before and after treatment(P>0.05).No significant differences in the main indexes of liver and kidney function were observed between two groups before and after therapy(P>0.05).No serious adverse reactions were monitored during the therapy.Conclusion:This study illustrated that simultaneous applying the method of supplementing qi and nourishing yin,cooling blood and dissipating blood stasis has the therapeutic effect to some degree on the prevention and treatment of side effects caused by the radiotherapy for head and neck cancer.The above method can significantly improve the TCM clinical symptoms of the patients as well as alleviate radiation-induced mucosal injury,salivary glands dysfunction,and myelosuppression.This method illustrated its safety and reliability,which shall be further studied and popularized. |
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