The use of herbal preparations as complementary and alternative medicine in advanced lung cancer

Abstract Background Advanced lung cancer presents an upward trend mortality rates that need maintains treatment concurrent with chemotherapy or target therapy. Recently, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is considered and used as maintains treatment, special herbal medicines. In this paper, we reported the improvement of quality of life (QOL) in advanced lung cancer by herbal medicines. Methods: 83 advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients, who were failure with first-line treatment or refused receiving chemotherapy, reported using herbal extractive medicines based complementary and alternative medicine. Senghuang capsule (SH) and Xianhe Baijiang capsule (XB), which consist of ginseng, astragalus, herba agrimoniae and herba patriniae etc, have been approved by the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA). Meanwhile, hyperthermia and arginine were also initiated. NRS pain, NRS2002 nutrition and ECOG score, which associated with QOL, were used to evaluate the effectiveness of CAM treatment. The results were analyzed by SPSS16.0 in t-test. RESULTS: After fifteen days treatment, 67.86%, 47.44% and 54.22% of patients’ pain, nutrition status and QOL were improved, respectively. In detail, NRS pain, NRS2002 nutrition and ECOG score dropped to 2.4 ± 1.8, 2.0 ± 1.5 and 2.4 ± 1.0 compared to 4.0 ± 1.5, 2.8 ± 1.6 and 2.8 ± 0.7 (P value