Influence of Maintenance Treatment of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Quality of Life and Survival Rate in Patients with Advanced Primary Hepatocarcinoma

Objective: To discuss the amelioration effect of maintenance treatment of traditional Chinese medicine on quality of life and survival rate in treating patients with advanced primary hepatocarcinoma(APH).Method: Eighty-five patients with APH were randomly divided into the control group(34 cases) and the observation group(51 cases) according to the different therapy methods. Patients in the control group received symptomatic relief and supportive treatment. Based on the treatment of the control group,patients in observation group received 1 250 m L Shenqi Fuzheng injection,220-100 m L Shenmai injection for 2 weeks separated a week,3 50-100 m L aidi injection,4 4 brucea javanica oil soft capsules thrice daily for 4-weeks period separated a week between two weeks,5 Traditional Chinese medicine for oral administration according to their different condition. All patients in both two groups received 6 months of treatment until their deaths. Karnofsky(KPS)grades of quality of life and grades of the main symptoms and signs were evaluated every month. Child-pugh classification scores of liver function and ECOG scores of physical condition were made before treatment and after3-,6-month treatment. Levels of liver function including alanine aminotransferase(ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase(AST),total bilirubin(TBil) and serum alpha-fetoprotein(AFP) were detected. Patients' medium survival time and survival rate of half a year were evaluated. Result: KPS grades were higher after 4-,5-and 6-month treatment in the observation group than those in the control group(P 0. 05). Scores of the main symptoms and signs increased,while the results were lower after 2-,4-and 6-month treatment as compared to the control group(P 0. 01). Scores of Child-Pugh and ECOG were lower after 3-and 6-month treatment in the observation group than those in the control group(P 0. 01). Levels of ALT and AST were lower after 3-month treatment in the observation group than those in the control group(P 0. 01). Levels of ALT,AST and TBil were lower after 6-month treatment in the observation group than those in the control group(P 0. 01). Level of AFP after 3-and 6-month treatment in the observation group was lower than that in the control group(P 0. 01).Survival rate of half a year in the observation group was 50. 98%,which was higher than that of 37. 14% in the control group(P 0. 05). The medium survival time in observation group was 132 days,which was higher than that of 86 days in the control group(P 0. 01). Conclusion: Maintenance treatment of traditional Chinese medicine could relieve clinical symptoms and signs,ameliorate patients' quality of life and physical condition in treating APH. Moreover,it could prolong patients' medium survival time and survival rate of half a year.