Side effects caused by radiochemotherapy in patients with cancer that affects the head and neck can be significantly relieved by herbal medicine as a complementary treatment, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital said yesterday.
Cancers that affect the head and neck include nasopharyngeal cancer, oral cancer, hypopharyngeal cancer and laryngeal cancer, and there is a high incidence of these diseases among middle-aged people, said Chen Jiun-liang (陳俊良), director of the hospital’s Chinese medicine department’s internal medicine division.
“Oral cancer was ranked the fifth most common cancer in Taiwan in 2012 with approximately 6,500 people found to have the illness, with 2,500 new cases reported each year,” he said.
“Patients with head and neck cancers receiving concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy often suffer drastic weight loss and fatigue that sometimes result in interruptions and delays to treatment. The malnutrition can also compromise their immunity and expose them to higher risks of complications,” Chen said.
They are the direct consequences of adverse effects caused by radiotherapy, including mucositis, xerostomia (dry mouth), dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing) and alteration of taste or smell, Chen said.
“Chemotherapy makes patients experience nausea and a lack of appetite as well,” he added.
Following discussions with and the referral of patients from the hospital’s radio-oncologists, Chen and his Chinese medicine medical team started to offer complementary treatment to patients with head and neck cancers who were undergoing intensive radiochemotherapy lasting six to eight weeks.
Following diagnosis, the team treated the patients with individualized herbal treatments targeting dry mouth, inflammation, mucomembranous reaction and nausea.
“For example, for dry mouth and ulceration of the oral mucous membranes, we prescribe dried rehmannia, scrophularia and ophiopogon. Pinellia and dried tangerine peel help reduce phlegm. Astragalus, poria and white atractylodes are used to combat anorexia and nausea,” the director said.
The team found that those who started herbal treatment at some point during their radiochemotherapy did not lose as much weight. They lost about 5.43kg on average, which was 2kg less than the 7.63kg-loss experienced by patients who were not on the herbal medicine regime.
“The difference is statistically significant,” Chen said, adding that patients who had received complementary herbal treatment for the whole course of their radiochemotherapy lost 3.77kg on average, an outcome that further supported the benefits of herbal treatment.
The study also showed that appetite improved in patients receiving herbal treatment.
Chen said that the patients were all from the hospital’s “Chinese Medicine Ward” and were provided with professional diagnosis and individualized doses.
“Self-use of these herbals for the treatment is not encouraged,” he said.
The team’s study was published in the journal Integrative Cancer Therapies last year.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
Carrefour Taiwan is to begin using a new name from the start of July, but it cannot divulge the name until then, the chairman of the supermarket chain's parent company said today. President Chain Store Co chairman Lo Chih-hsien (羅智先) was asked by reporters after a shareholders' meeting to confirm whether the company has settled on a new name for the supermarket brand. In March, the government-registered name of two Carrefour Taiwan branches was quietly changed to "Le Chia Kang" (樂家康) in Chinese, raising speculation that has been selected as the name. Lo said that because of local regulations and contractual obligations, the
The Philippines would likely be involved in any conflict over Taiwan due to its proximity to the democracy claimed by China, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said, reiterating a stance that risks angering Beijing. “In the Philippines, we do not have a choice because Taiwan is so close to the Philippines and we have almost 200,000 Filipino nationals living and working in Taiwan,” Marcos said in an interview with Japanese media in Manila on Monday. The Philippine leader’s comments come ahead of a state visit to Japan next week, where he is to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to discuss security
RSS