• Cervical cancer
• Herbal medicine
• Kampo
• Non-Western medicine
• Radiotherapy

• Bojungikki-tang
• non-small cell lung cancer
• pembrolizumab
• protocol
• randomized controlled trial

• Humans
• Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/drug therapy
• Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/pathology
• Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/adverse effects
• Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/therapeutic use
• Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/pharmacology
• Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/administration & dosage
• Lung Neoplasms/drug therapy
• Lung Neoplasms/pathology
• Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use
• Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage
• Male
• Female
• Middle Aged
• Neoplasm Staging
• Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/adverse effects
• Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use
• Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/pharmacology
• Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/administration & dosage
• Adult
• Aged
• Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use
• Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/pharmacology
• Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/adverse effects

• Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine

• cancer
• delivery of health care
• implementation science
• integrative medicine
• qualitative research

• Humans
• Hong Kong
• Qualitative Research
• Integrative Oncology
• Female
• Neoplasms/therapy
• Male
• Ambulatory Care
• Interviews as Topic
• Health Personnel/psychology
• Adult
• Outpatients
• Middle Aged

• Alternative
• CAM
• CIM
• Complementary
• Integrative
• Medicine
• Oncology

• GPCR
• high-resolution mass spectrometry
• ligand-receptor complex
• membrane protein
• molecular interaction
• size-exclusion chromatography

• Chromatography, Gel
• Chromatography, Liquid/methods
• Mass Spectrometry/methods
• Membrane Proteins
• Molecular Weight

• No number Toyama Prefecture's budget for pharmaceutical quality assessment research

• Chinese herbal medicine
• Head and neck cancer
• Oral mucositis
• Radiotherapy
• Randomized trial

The effective components contained in compound Kushen injection (CKI) and the genes and signalling pathways related to gastric cancer (GC) were analyzed through the network pharmacology method of traditional Chinese medicine, and various possible mechanisms by which CKI affects the proliferation, differentiation, survival, and metastasis of GC cells were discussed. The PI3K/AKT signalling pathway is considered to be one of the most important pathways targeted by CKI in the regulation of GC cells. The implementation of related cell experiments also confirmed the information we revealed.

Effective drug components of Kushen and Baituling in CKI were identified from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database (TCMSP). Genes related to GC were identified using the GENECARD and OMIM databases. The common target genes related to the effective components of the drug and GC were identified using the intersection method and visualized using software. A protein–protein interaction network (PPI) was established using STRING online software to confirm the key genes. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed to predict the key pathways of CKI in GC treatment. BGC-803 and MKN-28 GC cells were used to verify the signalling pathway. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration ability, and invasion ability were assessed using CCK8, flow cytometry, scratch, and transwell assays. Immunofluorescence assays and western blotting were used to detect the expression of related proteins.

CKI regulated GC cells through 35 effective drug components of GC-related target genes. In total, 194 genes were common targets of CKI and GC. The most significant function of the enriched genes was DNA-binding transcription activator activity as demonstrated by GO enrichment analysis. The metabolic pathway with the highest enrichment was the PI3K/AKT signalling pathway as demonstrated by KEGG enrichment analysis. Our cell experimental evidence also shows that CKI inhibits GC cell growth and migration and induce GC cell apoptosis. In addition, CKI inhibits the EMT process in GC cells through the PI3K/AKT signalling pathway.

AKT1 is a key gene for CKI treatment of GC. CKI inhibited GC cell growth and migration and induced GC cell apoptosis. In addition, CKI regulated the EMT process in GC cells through the PI3K/AKT signalling pathway.

• CKI
• EMT
• Gastric cancer
• PI3K/AKT

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Western medicine are available and have a long history in Hong Kong. Little is known on the intention to use TCM in Hong Kong. In this study, the intention to use TCM was examined by the extended theory of planned behavior.

An online cross-sectional survey was conducted from 15 and 29 November 2021. Respondents’ attitude towards using TCM, intention to use TCM, knowledge, perceived behavioral control, perceived service quality, satisfaction, subjective norms and demographic characteristics were collected from the survey. To examine the conceptual framework in this study, partial least square structural equation model (PLS-SEM) was adopted.

In total, 446 responses (completion rate = 74.3%) were analysed. Attitude towards TCM was the strongest predictor to the intention to use TCM followed by satisfaction and subjective norms. Attitude had a partial mediating effect on the relationship between subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and intention to use TCM. Attitude had a full mediating effect on the relationship between knowledge and intention to use TCM. Satisfaction had a full mediating effect on the relationship between perceived service quality and intention to use TCM.

This is the first study to investigate the predictors of the intention to use TCM in Hong Kong by using TPB. Individuals’ attitude towards TCM has showed stronger effect to the intention to use TCM than other predictors, such as satisfaction, perceived behavioral control and subjective norms. To enhance the intention to use TCM in Hong Kong, key stakeholders, including TCM professional organisations, health professionals and policymakers, should develop a positive attitude towards TCM among Hong Kong population.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12906-022-03598-x.

• Attitude
• Theory of planned behavior
• Traditional Chinese medicine

• Constipation
• MaZiRenWan
• Palliative care
• Placebo
• Randomized controlled trial
• Traditional Chinese Medicine

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers in Taiwan. Some patients take Chinese herbal medicine (CHM). However, very few current studies have ascertained the usage and efficacy of CHM in patients with cervical cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the benefits of complementary CHM among patients with cervical cancer in Taiwan.

We included the newly diagnosed cervical cancer patients who were registered in the Taiwanese Registry for Catastrophic Illness Patients Database between 2000 and 2010. The end of follow-up period was December 31, 2011. Patients who were less than 20 years old, had missing information for age, withdrew from the National Health Insurance (NHI) program during the follow-up period, or only received other TCM interventions such as acupuncture or tuina massage were excluded from our study. After performing 1:1 frequency matching by age and index date, we enrolled 7521 patients in both CHM and non-CHM user groups. A Cox regression model was used to compare the hazard ratios (HRs) of the risk of mortality. The Kaplan-Meier curve was used to compare the difference in survival time.

According to the Cox hazard ratio model mutually adjusted for CHM use, age, comorbidity, treatment, and chemotherapeutic agents used, we found that CHM users had a lower hazard ratio of mortality risk (adjusted HR = 0.29, 95%CI = 0.27-0.31). The survival probability was higher for patients in the CHM group. Bai-Hua-She-She-Cao (Herba Oldenlandiae, synonym Herba Hedyotis diffusae) and Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao-San were the most commonly prescribed single herb and Chinese herbal formula, respectively.

Adjunctive CHM may have positive effects of reducing mortality rate and improving the survival probability for cervical cancer patients. Further evidence-based pharmacological investigations and clinical trials are warranted to confirm the findings in our study.

• Chinese herbal medicine
• cervical cancer
• integrative medicine
• real-world evidence
• survival rate
• traditional Chinese medicine

To study the effects of psychological care combined with traditional Chinese medicine treatment on the postoperative psychological stress response and the expression levels of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in patients with advanced cervical cancer.

232 postoperative advanced cervical cancer patients treated in our hospital from December 2015 to December 2018 were selected as study objects and divided into the control group and study group using the random number table method. The control group was given basic care combined with traditional Chinese medicine treatment, while the study group was given psychological care treatment on the basis of the control group to compare the treatment effect, psychological stress response, pain level, quality of life, and long-term efficacy of the two groups. The serum CRP and IFN-γ levels and their correlation with different psychological stress responses were compared between the two groups before and after treatment.

Comparing the clinical efficacy of the two groups, the total effective rate of the study group was higher than that of the control group. VAS scores in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group 30 and 60 days after treatment. The SCL-90 scores of the study group after treatment were lower than those of the control group. After treatment, the differences between the two groups were statistically significant in the scores of emotional function, social function, and role function. The two-year cumulative survival rate in the study group (82.76%) was significantly increased compared to that in the control group (55.17%). The serum CRP and IFN-γ expression levels in the two groups were significantly decreased after treatment compared to those before treatment, and the serum CRP and IFN-γ expression levels in the study group were significantly decreased compared to those in the control group.

Psychological care combined with traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of advanced cervical cancer patients after surgery was effective in improving patients' psychological status, reducing their pain level, relieving postoperative negative emotions, increasing compliance, improving the quality of life, helping to prolong survival time, and controlling serum indexes back to normal, which was worth promoting in clinical practice.

• palliative care
• patient participation
• research priorities
• stakeholder participation
• traditional chinese medicine

• Caregivers
• Humans
• Medicine, Chinese Traditional
• Neoplasms/drug therapy
• Palliative Care
• Quality of Life

• Chinese people
• Experiences
• Nursing home
• Palliative care
• Residential aged care facility

• China
• Hong Kong
• Humans
• Nursing Homes
• Palliative Care
• Taiwan
• Terminal Care

• breast cancer
• chemotherapy
• herbal medicine
• meta-analysis
• side effect

• Chinese herbal medicine
• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• Molecular mechanism
• Network pharmacology
• Traditional Chinese medicine

• Colorectal neoplasms
• Epigenesis, genetic
• Herbal medicine
• Medicine, Chinese traditional
• Molecular mechanisms of pharmacological action
• Preventive medicine

• Chinese herbal drugs
• Delphi technique
• GRADE approach
• acupuncture
• neoplasms
• palliative care
• traditional Chinese medicine

• Acupuncture Therapy
• Consensus
• Humans
• Medicine, Chinese Traditional
• Neoplasms/therapy
• Palliative Care

• central south university

• Delphi technique
• Palliative care
• integrative medicine
• research priorities

• Acupuncture Therapy
• Adult
• Aged
• Attitude of Health Personnel
• China
• Delphi Technique
• Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects
• Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Medicine, Chinese Traditional
• Middle Aged
• Neoplasms/therapy
• Nurses
• Palliative Care
• Physicians
• Research Design
• Surveys and Questionnaires

• Cancer
• Inhibitory effect
• Quercetin

To investigate the effects of the Chinese herbal medicine Xiaoaiping to treat chemotherapy-induced side effects in breast cancer patients.

Ninety-three adult patients who attended our hospital and met the entry criteria from January 2016 to December 2017 were included. Patients were randomly divided into the control group (routine chemotherapy only) and the combined group (routine chemotherapy and Xiaoaiping). Demographic data and clinical variables were collected, and side effects including alopecia, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, white blood cell (WBC) count, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, and the quality of life were evaluated.

Basic clinical characteristics were not different between the groups. There were significantly fewer patients with alopecia grade 3–4, but significantly more patients with alopecia grade 1–2, in the combined group compared with the control group. Disease-free time for alopecia was longer in the combined compared with the control group. Overall, the side effects were significantly more serious in the control compared with the combined group. Patients in the combined group had better quality of life than the control patients.

Xiaoaiping can improve alopecia, nausea and vomiting, and diarrhea symptoms, WBC count, AST levels, and the quality of life in breast cancer patients.

• Chinese herbal medicine
• Xiaoaiping
• alopecia,
• breast cancer
• chemotherapy-induced side effects
• quality of life

• alternative medicine
• cancer
• cell migration
• compound kushen injection (CKI)
• gene regulatory networks
• invasion
• traditional chinese medicine (TCM)

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Esophageal cancer is one of the most common human cancers, and its incidence is highly endemic in China. The combination of Chinese herbal injections (CHIs) and radiotherapy should be informed by the best available evidence.

Aim of the study: To update and expand on previous work in order to compare and rank the efficacy and safety of CHIs in combination with radiotherapy to treat esophageal cancer.

Materials and Methods: We searched several electronic databases to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding CHIs to treat esophageal cancer from their inception to March 15, 2017. In a network meta-analysis (NMA), the bias of the included trials was assessed by two individuals independently in accordance with the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Outcomes such as the clinical effectiveness rate, performance status, adverse reactions (ADRs), and survival rate were evaluated. We performed a random-effects NMA to obtain estimates of efficacy and safety outcomes, and we present these estimates as odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) calculated via Stata 13.1 and WinBUGS 1.4 software. Furthermore, the surface under cumulative the ranking curve (SUCRA) was used to rank the efficacy and safety of different CHIs in relation to each outcome.

Results: Of 685 identified trials, 55 were eligible for inclusion in the study. These 55 trials included 12 CHIs and 4,114 participants. The cluster analysis results suggested that Compound kushen injection therapy is the optimal CHI treatment for patients with esophageal cancer in terms of improving the clinical effectiveness rate and performance status. Huachansu and Kangai injection are superior in improving 1-year and 2-year survival rates. Lentinan injection may be considered a favorable choice for reliving ADRs, and Compound kushen injection may provide treatment benefits by reducing both gastrointestinal reaction and radiation esophagitis.

Conclusions: The current clinical evidence indicated that Compound kushen injection combined with radiotherapy is the most preferable and beneficial option for patients with esophageal cancer in terms of efficacy and safety. However, the results of our study should be interpreted with caution given the limitations of the sample size and the methodological quality of the included trials.

• Chinese herbal injections
• esophageal cancer
• network meta-analysis
• radiotherapy
• systematic review

Background. Peripheral neurotoxicity caused by oxaliplatin (OXA) chemotherapy is the main limitation preventing continuation of chemotherapy in patients with gastrointestinal cancer. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of external use of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) on the incidence of cumulative OXA-induced peripheral neurotoxicity (OIPN). Method. Scientific literature databases were searched to identify controlled clinical trials analyzing CHM in OIPN. Clinical studies that included at least 1 relevant primary outcome were analyzed by 2 independent reviewers. Meta-analysis was performed on the software RevMan 5.3. Results. 700 cancer patients of 9 studies were reported, of whom 352 received external CHM and 348 received warm water baths, conventional medicine, or no intervention as controls. Neurotoxicity incidence (Levi grade ≥ 1) was significantly decreased in CHM group, compared with no intervention (P < .01). The incidence of cumulative neurotoxicity (Levi grade ≥2) was also significantly lower in the CHM group than in all the control groups (P < .05), and the cumulative neurotoxicity in the CHM group was significantly reduced (Levi grade ≥ 3) in comparision with no intervention (P < .01). These results were consistent with those of the subgroup analyses for preventing OIPN at each of the chemotherapy treatment cycles. There was no difference in the incidence of adverse events between groups (P > .05). Conclusion. External use of CHM may be beneficial in preventing the OXA-induced cumulative neurotoxicity. However, given the low quality of the evidence, the results should be interpreted with caution.

• Chinese traditional medicine
• Gastric cancer
• Gastric precancerous lesions
• NF-kB
• Xian Tan He Wei Decoction

• Animals
• Apoptosis/drug effects
• Cell Cycle Checkpoints/drug effects
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Cell Proliferation/drug effects
• Cell Survival/drug effects
• Cell Transformation, Neoplastic/drug effects
• Cell Transformation, Neoplastic/pathology
• Disease Models, Animal
• Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology
• Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use
• Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition/drug effects
• Humans
• Hyperplasia
• Methylnitronitrosoguanidine
• NF-kappa B/metabolism
• Precancerous Conditions/drug therapy
• Precancerous Conditions/pathology
• Rats, Wistar
• Stomach Neoplasms/drug therapy
• Stomach Neoplasms/pathology
• Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate/pharmacology

Cistanche tubulosa has various biological functions. In the present study, the antitumor effect of water-soluble phenylethanoid glycosides of C. tubulosa (CTPG-W) on esophageal cancer was investigated. Eca-109 cells were treated with CTPG-W and the cell viability was measured by MTT assay. The apoptosis, cell cycle, mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) and reactive oxygen species were analyzed by flow cytometry. The levels of proteins in apoptotic pathways were detected by western blot analysis. It was determined that CTPG-W significantly reduced the viability of Eca-109 cells through the induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Following CTPG-W treatment, the Δψm of Eca-109 was notably decreased, which is associated with the upregulated levels of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)-associated X and downregulated levels of Bcl-2. Consequently, the levels of cytochrome c and c-Jun NH₂-terminal kinase were increased, which upregulated the levels of cleaved-poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase and cleaved-caspase-3, −7 and −9, but not caspase-8. Correspondingly, the levels of reactive oxygen species in Eca-109 cells demonstrated notable changes. These results indicated that CTPG-W induced apoptosis of Eca-109 cells through a mitochondrial-dependent pathway.

• Cistanche tubulosa
• apoptosis; cell cycle
• mitochondrial-dependent pathway
• phenylethanoid glycosides

• Arsenic trioxide
• Artemisinin
• Danshen
• berberine
• mechanism of action
• modern medicine
• traditional Chinese medicine

• Chinese herbal medicine
• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• anticancer

• Apoptosis
• Esculetin
• Human gastric cancer cells
• IGF-1
• Mitochondria

• Adult
• Aged
• Antineoplastic Agents/administration & dosage
• Antineoplastic Agents/adverse effects
• Bridged-Ring Compounds/administration & dosage
• Bridged-Ring Compounds/adverse effects
• Drug Therapy/methods
• Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions/epidemiology
• Female
• Humans
• Leukopenia/chemically induced
• Leukopenia/epidemiology
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Stomach Neoplasms/drug therapy
• Survival Analysis
• Taxoids/administration & dosage
• Taxoids/adverse effects
• Treatment Outcome
• Young Adult

• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Cluster Analysis
• Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use
• Esophageal Neoplasms/mortality
• Esophageal Neoplasms/therapy
• Female
• Humans
• Kaplan-Meier Estimate
• Male
• Medicine, Chinese Traditional
• Middle Aged
• Treatment Outcome