Clinical efficacy of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine for castration-resistant prostate cancer

ZHANG Yang; LEI Bo-han; ZOU Qing; ZHU Qing-yi; LU Zi-jie; WANG Yue

doi:10.13263/j.cnki.nja.2017.10.012

Abstract：Objective:To investigate the clinical effects of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).Methods:A total of 54 CRPC patients were randomly divided into a control and a trial group,all treated by endocrine therapy (oral Bicalutamide at 50 mg per d plus subcutaneous injection of Goserelin at 3.6 mg once every 4 wk) and chemotherapy (intravenous injection of Docetaxel at 75 mg/m2 once every 3 wk plus oral Prednisone at 5 mg bid),while the latter group by Fuyang Huayu Prescription (a Traditional Chinese Medicine [TCM] prescription for tonifying yang and dispersing blood stasis) in addition,for a course of 24 weeks.Comparisons were made between the two groups of patients in the level of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA),Karnofsky physical condition scores,function assessment of cancer therapy-prostate (FACT-P) scores,and TCM symptoms scores before and after 12 or 24 weeks of treatment.Results:Compared with the baseline,the serum PSA level was significantly decreased after 12 weeks of treatment both in the control ([25.9 ± 39.3] vs [20.0 ± 21.1] μg/L,P ＜ 0.05) and in the trial group ([22.1 ± 33.9] vs [17.9 ± 19.1] μg/L,P ＜0.05),with no statistically significant differences between the two groups (P ＞ 0.05).At 24 weeks,however,the PSA levels in the control and trial groups were slightly increased to (23.1 ± 28.4) and (19.6 ± 23.5) μg/L,respectively,with no statistically significant differences in between (P ＞ 0.05).Karnofsky,FACT-P and TCM symptoms scores were all markedly improved in the trial group after 12 weeks of treatment (P ＜ 0.05) and remained stable at 24 weeks,but not in the control group either at 12 or at 24 weeks (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion:TCM Fuyang Huayu Prescription combined with endocrine therapy and chemotherapy is effective for CRPC.