Clinical Observation of Tongtai Decoction Combined with Chemotherapy in Treating Advanced Colorectal Cancer

OBJECTIVE To observe the clinical effects of Tongtai decoction combined with chemotherapy in treating advanced colorectal cancer. METHODS 40 cases were randomly divided into two groups: control group and treatment group with 20 cases in each. Treatment group was given Tongtai decoction combined with chemotherapy at the same time while control group was given chemotherapy only. We observed the clinical efficiency， change of tumor marker CEA， integration changes of symptoms， clinical symptoms before and after treatment， karnofsky score， adverse reactions and tolerability of chemotherapy. RESULTS The patients of two groups have shown no significant difference in objective curative effect and in reducing the value of serum CEA (P>0.05) . But the treatment group was superior to the control group in reducing the toxicity of chemotherapy，improving the clinical symptoms， improving quality of life and the general condition (P<0.05). CONCLUSION The combined treatment of Tongtai decoction with chemotherapy can effectively resolve clinical symptoms of patients with advanced colorectal cancer， lower toxicity during chemotherapy， and improve their quality of life.