Therapeutic effects of gensenoside-Rg3 combined with radiotherapy on advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Objective To study the efficacy and toxicity of gensenoside-Rg3 (Rg3) combined with radiotherapy on non-small cell lung cancer ( NSCLC ) at advanced stages (Ⅲ and Ⅴ ).Methods Sixty-three patients with stage Ⅲ or Ⅳ NSCLC were divided randomly into two groups:treatment group ( n =35 ) treated with Rg3 combined with radiotherapy and control group ( n =28 ) treated with radiotherapy alone.The efficacy and side effects were compared after the treatment.Results The response rate ( CR + PR) of the treatment group was 57.14％,significantly higher than that of the control group (32.14％,x2 =3.91,P ＜ 0.05).The median survival time of the treatment group was 14.2 months,significantly longer than that of the control group ( 11.2 months,x2 =2.07,P ＜ 0.05 ).The one-year survival rate of the treatment group was 62.86％,significantly higher than that of the control group (39.29％,x2 =4.40,P ＜0.05).The incidence rates of side effects of the treatment group were all lower than those of the control group,but there were not significant difference. Conclusions Gensenoside-Rg3 combined with radiotherapy is effective for advanced stage NSCLC,with attenuation and synergistic effects. Key words: Gensenoside-Rg3;  Radiotherapy;  Non-small cell lung cancer