Use of Chinese Herbal Medicine Improves Chemotherapy‐Induced Thrombocytopenia among Gynecological Cancer Patients: An Observational Study

Abstract

Background Chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia (CIT) is a serious complication among patients with gynecological malignancies, yet management options are limited. This study aimed at reporting the potential of the Chang Gung platelet elevating formula (CGPEF), a prescription with a fixed proportion of Chinese herbs, for improving CIT among gynecologic cancer patients. Materials From 1/1/2007 to 31/12/2009, a total of 23 patients with two consecutive CIT episodes (≤ 100×103 /μL) (last cycle: C0; index cycle: C1) received the CGPEF from the nadir of platelet count of C1 and through the subsequent chemotherapy cycles (C2 and beyond). The CGPEF was taken orally four times a day. The evolution of platelet counts of 18 patients after administration of CGPEF was analyzed (2 patients had different chemotherapy regimens after CGPEF, two patients discontinued CGPEF due to the flavor and the amount of CGPEF, and one patient had no further chemotherapy). Results Most of the patients had recurrent ovarian cancer (11/18, 61%) with a median of 2.5 previous chemotherapy regimens, and carboplatin-based regimens were the most commonly used for these patients (13/18, 72%). The trend of successive CIT could be reversed after taking CGPEF. Also, the platelet nadir was higher after CGPEF treatment (16.5×103/μL versus 32×103/μL, before and after CGPEF treatment, resp., p = 0.002). Moreover, the chemotherapy interval decreased from 30.5 days to 24 days. No thrombocytosis, clinical bleeding, thromboembolism, or other adverse events were found among these patients. Conclusions The CGPEF is worthy of further large-scale, well-designed clinical trials for CIT among gynecological cancer patients.

Effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on survival, quality of life, and immune function in patients with ovarian carcinoma

“…The chemoradiotherapy regimens commonly used to treat OC often cause serious adverse effects, which severely affect the QoL and immune function of patients. [ 17 – 21 ] Therefore, seeking an alternative therapy that can improve the QoL and immune function of patients is urgently required for tumor treatment. Several studies have recognized that TCM have a unique advantage in the treatment of malignant tumors by inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, enhancing immunity of human body, decreasing cancer relapses and metastases, and mitigating the progress of the disease.…”

“…Several studies have recognized that TCM have a unique advantage in the treatment of malignant tumors by inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, enhancing immunity of human body, decreasing cancer relapses and metastases, and mitigating the progress of the disease. [ 17 – 21 , 32 – 38 ] Piao et al [ 21 ] found that complementary treatment with mistletoe extracts can beneficially reduce the side effects of chemotherapy and thus improve QoL of patients with breast, ovarian and nonsmall cell lung cancer. Research by Chan et al [ 18 ] indicated that TCM did not improve QoL of cancer patients but did have some effects in terms of maintaining immune function.…”

“…[ 16 ] Several studies have indicated that the combination of TCM and classic radiochemotherapy not only exerts an enhanced therapeutic effect against OC, but also improves the quality of life (QoL) and immune function of patients. [ 17 – 21 ] Despite the intensive clinical studies, its clinical efficacy was still not well investigated. In this study, we are prepared to summarize the efficacy of TCM on survival, QoL, and immune function in patients with advanced OC through the meta-analysis, in order to provide a helpful evidence for clinicians to formulate the best postoperative adjuvant treatment strategy for OC patients.…”

Chinese Herbal Medicine for Reducing Chemotherapy-Associated Side-Effects in Breast Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…As a matter of fact, the use of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)-based CHM for breast cancer has been described for more than 2,000 years in China by TCM physicians (10,11). It is considered that CHM shows the potency to alleviate the toxicities of chemotherapy agents and control the side-effects, such as improves the patient's quality of life (QoL), prevents recurrence, and prolongs survival (12)(13)(14)(15). Therefore, we performed this systematic review and metaanalysis to evaluate the efficacy of CHM as an adjunctive therapy to reduce side-effect of chemotherapy for breast cancer treatment.…”

Integrated Chinese Herbal Medicine Therapy Improves the Survival of Patients With Ovarian Cancer

“…[13][14][15][16][17][18][19] In addition, CHMs or their related natural compounds exhibit beneficial effects against ovarian cancer by enhancing cancer cell apoptosis, reducing multidrug resistance, or alleviating complications of regular treatment. [20][21][22][23] Thus far, there have been no clinical treatments using CHM for patients with ovarian cancer; therefore, its clinical efficacy and overall survival rate need to be investigated. The association between CHM prescription patterns with increased survival rates in patients with ovarian cancer remains to be elucidated.…”