Integrative Cancer Therapies最新文献

Background: The prevalence of brain metastases (BM) in lung cancer patients is notably high and is associated with poor prognoses. The efficacy of standard treatment regimens in improving intracranial progression-free survival (IPFS) for lung cancer BM is markedly limited. While traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been effective in enhancing the quality of life and prognosis of lung cancer patients, its efficacy in treating BM remains unreported.

Case presentation: Here, we present a case of a middle-aged female with lung cancer BM, whose condition was assessed as progressive post-standard treatment including two local surgeries (both involving resection of cerebellar space-occupying lesions), stereotactic radiotherapy, chemotherapy and EGFR-TKIs. Subsequently, she underwent treatment with the traditional Chinese herbal formula gubenxiaoyi (GBXY). The patient was treated with GBXY for a total duration of 55 months. After treatment, a significant reduction of about 50% in intracranial lesions was observed, accompanied by an extension of both Intracranial Progression-Free Survival (IPFS) and Cognitive Deterioration-Free Survival (CDFS) exceeding 50 months.

Conclusion: These results demonstrate that in patients with lung cancer brain metastases (BM) unresponsive to standard treatments, GBXY not only has the potential to effectively prolong IPFS and decelerate cognitive decline, but may also contribute to a reduction in intracranial tumor burden. This suggests that GBXY could be a promising therapeutic option that warrants further investigation.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) has a markedly deleterious impact on a patient's quality of life. It manifests as pain, paresthesia, numbness, and weakness, particularly in the context of cisplatin (CDDP), a widely utilised chemotherapeutic agent renowned for its pronounced peripheral nerve toxicity. Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim. (Cucurbitaceae, TK) and cucurbitacin D(CucD), its bioactive compound, have been demonstrated to possess anti-tumour, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. However, their potential to alleviate CIPN has not been fully exploredyet. The present study evaluated effectiveness of TK and CucD in mitigating CDDP-induced neuropathic pain using both cellular and animal models. CDDP, TK extracts (TKD and TKE), and CucD dose-dependently reduced viability and apoptosis of PC12 cells. Conversely, pre-treatment with TKD, TKE, and CucD exhibited significant protective effects against CDDP-induced cytotoxicity, preserving cell viability and morphology while enhancing neurite outgrowth. In vivo, administration of CDDP resulted in the development of mechanical allodynia and thermalhyperalgesia in rats. However, treatment with TKD and TKE led to a notable improvement in pain threshold and a reduction in hyperalgesia, while CucD demonstrated less pronounced effects. Although body weight was reduced in the CDDP-treated group, it was not significantly mitigated bytreatments. In conclusion, results of this study indicate that TKD, TKE, and CucD have the potential to alleviate CDDP-induced neuropathic pain by protecting against cell damage, promoting neuriteregeneration, and improving pain responses in animal models. Further investigation into TK and CucD as therapeutic options for managing CIPN is warranted.

Background: 25% to 30% of primary stage IV pulmonary adenocarcinomas (PUAD-IV) die within 3 months. Many ≥3 months survivors at long follow-up are alive with disease (AWD). Platinum-based chemotherapy (PBC), tyrosine kinase inhibitors- targeted therapy (TKI-TT), and Chinese herbal medicines (oral CHM) improve prognosis. In China, moxibustion treatment (Moxa) is also used, without prognostic proof.

Methods: Prospective observational Moxa evaluation in 412 first-onset consecutive PUAD-IV performance score 0 to 1 patients with 3 to 120 months follow-up. All received oral CHM with PBC, TKI-TT, or PBC + TKI-TT. Moxa was given as indicated at the start of the treatment (and eventually adapted in the follow-up period by de novo development) of well-established TCM syndromes and symptoms. Survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression. Propensity score analysis (PSA) with matching and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) were used to adjust for baseline covariate imbalances.

Results: Of 412 patients, 117 received no Moxa, 239 had 1 to 4 treatments, and 56 received >4 treatments alongside conventional treatments. Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) stage IVB and male sex increased dead of disease (DOD)-risk, while TKI-TT, ≥4 Chemotherapy cycles, and Moxa improved survival (P < .05). Median survival (MST): Reference group (PBC + CHM) 20.0 months; Moxa 32.0; TKI-TT 33.0; TKI-TT+1-4 Moxa 33.0; TKI-TT+>4 Moxa 40.0 months (all P < .05). Cox regression indicated a dosage-dependent Moxa effect (P = .0004). Restricted Mean Survival Time (RMST) at 36 months favored >4 Moxa+TKI-TT over TKI-TT (+6.2 months, P = .01). PSA confirmed results were not due to baseline covariate imbalance.

Conclusions: Moxibustion may dosage-dependently improve survival in PUAD-IV, both in TKI- and non-TKI-treated patients. Randomized clinical trials (RCT) are needed to confirm this.

Background: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor with limited treatment options and poor prognosis. Emerging evidence suggests that integrative oncology approaches may provide survival benefits when combined with conventional treatments. This study examines whether an integrative oncology treatment plan incorporating modulated electro-hyperthermia (mEHT) improves survival in GBM patients.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from GBM patients treated at the Integrated Health Clinic (IHC) between 2010 and 2024. Survival outcomes were compared between IHC patients receiving adjuvant integrative naturopathic therapies and a matched control group from the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Kaplan-Meier survival estimates, and Cox proportional hazard models were conducted to assess survival differences. Secondary analyses evaluated the impact of treatment timing (≤120 days vs >120 days post-diagnosis) and age on survival.

Results: The integrative treatment cohort demonstrated a lower hazard of mortality than the SEER group (HR = .72, 95% CI: .53-1.00, P-value = .05). The treatment benefit was greater among IHC patients who started treatment within 120 days of diagnosis (HR = .52, 95% CI: .33-.83, P-value = .006) and those under age 50 (HR = .51, 95% CI: .31-.85, P-value = .009).

Conclusions: The findings suggest that an integrative naturopathic approach incorporating mEHT may improve survival outcomes in GBM patients. Patients initiating integrative treatment earlier experienced a greater survival benefit, as did patients under 50 years of age. Further studies, ideally prospective randomized controlled trials, are warranted to validate these findings.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) imposes a heavy disease burden. Besides physical morbidity, some patients might still experience long-term psychological distress. Our previous study demonstrated that physical symptoms and psychological distress of CRC improved following traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) combined online group psychotherapy. However, the multidimensional nature of these experiences warrants deeper exploration of patients' lived perspectives.

Methods: We designed a single-arm phase I clinical trial, in which 40 CRC patients (aged between 18 and 75) who have received radical surgery (stage I-III) were recruited. This 6-week intervention of TCM combined online group psychotherapy included 90 minutes' communication on various topics for each week. The video of each online group psychotherapy session was saved, and the 38 patient's' speech was analyzed by thematic analysis in the qualitative study.

Results: We identified 4 themes and 13 subthemes. The patients mainly displayed foundational outlook transformation and tangible lifestyle reformation. The physical symptoms and psychological symptoms also had a certain degree of relief. In addition, patients also showed an increased demand for medical advice and health care information, which indicates that they were more concerned about their health condition, and the needs of patients were responded to in treatment, resulting in corresponding benefits.

Conclusion: During TCM combined online group psychotherapy interventions-including education, skill-building, TCM lifestyle coaching, and peer-exchange platforms-patients developed sustained self-health management practices, improving psychological resilience and physical symptoms. This holistic, tailored and culturally sensitive approach fostered long-term recovery and independence of CRC survivors.

The extent to which breast cancer impacts well-being depends on the patient's psychosocial resources for coping with the stressors the illness entails. Recent research has shown that character strengths, such as hope and zest, play a role in the life satisfaction of breast cancer patients, although the underlying mechanisms are yet to be explored. This study, involving 173 Spanish women with breast cancer, analyses the mediating role of hope and zest in the association between illness-specific stressors and 2 indicators of well-being, namely life satisfaction and flourishing. Both hope and zest were positively correlated with life satisfaction and flourishing, and negatively with stressors. Mediation analysis revealed that the relationship between stressors and the 2 indicators of well-being is mediated by both these character strengths. These results suggest that a lack of hope and zest is one mechanism through which stress may diminish well-being, whereas high levels of these character strengths may buffer the impact of stressors and improve well-being in breast cancer patients. Psycho-oncologists are encouraged to develop effective psychological interventions to promote these strengths in women with breast cancer.

This study investigated the anti-cancer effects of the ethyl acetate fraction from Opuntia humifusa on human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells. O. humifusa, a cactus species capable of surviving under extreme environmental conditions, is currently being studied for its potential pharmacological properties. The MDA-MB-231 cell line is a highly invasive and metastatic model of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which lacks estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. TNBCs are often clinically challenging because they generally have a poor prognosis and limited treatment options. The ethyl acetate fraction was obtained from ethanol extracts of fruit powder of O. humifusa. Treating MDA-MB-231 cells with ethyl acetate fraction for 48 hours reduced cell viability by more than 50% and inhibited migration demonstrated by wound healing assays. DAPI staining proved nuclear condensation and fragmentation, and flow cytometry confirmed the induction and progression of apoptosis and arrest of cell cycle at the S and G2/M phases. Western blot analysis revealed that Akt, ERK1/2, integrin β1, HIF-1α, MMP-9, MMP-7, CDK2, cyclin A2, pro-caspase-9, pro-caspase-8, pro-caspase-3, and lamin A/C were decreased in a dose-dependent manner, whereas Smac/DIABLO, cleaved caspase-9, cleaved caspase-8, and cleaved caspase-3 were increased in a concentration-dependent manner, indicating downregulation of proliferation, activation of upstream signal transduction influencing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, deactivation of metastasis, induction of cell cycle arrest at the S and G2/M phases, and activation of intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways. These findings suggest that the ethyl acetate fraction of O. humifusa induces apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and anti-metastasis as well as contributing to upstream signal transduction of anti-proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest in human triple-negative breast cancer cells.

Context: Due to therapeutic side effects and physical weakness, patients are not always able to carry out strenuous and lengthy exercises. Hence, this study investigated the effectiveness and feasibility of a short-term Whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) for oncological patients during and after anticancer treatment. The primary aim was to ensure the feasibility of WB-EMS training. Furthermore, the effects of WB-EMS training were investigated over a period of 2 weeks on parameters such as quality of life, body composition and physical performance.

Method: Thirteen cancer patients with different diagnosis, disease stages and treatment state were included. They participated in supervised WB-EMS sessions 4 times over a 2-week period. Physical functioning, body composition, depression, fatigue, and quality of life were measured before and after the intervention period. Moreover, a pre-post measurement of the patients' perceived body constitution was conducted in every exercise session.

Results: All included patients (n = 13) were able to complete the 4 WB-EMS sessions. At the end of the 2 weeks, a significant increase of the muscle strength could be observed. Additionally, patients improved their cardiovascular fitness. The body composition analyses showed significant reductions in body lean mass and extracellular water. Muscle mass remained unchanged. Furthermore, patients reported an improved perceived body constitution reduced pain and discomfort following all 4 WB-EMS sessions.

Conclusion: This study suggests that WB-EMS is safe and feasible for cancer patients. Furthermore, it showed that even after 2 weeks, improvements concerning the physical performance and patient-reported outcomes can be achieved. This study indicates benefits of WB-EMS as short-term exercise methode in cancer patients, that could be utelised in fields such as cancer prehabilitation.

Trial registration: This trial has been registered with the ISRCTN-Registry (ISRCTN68069634).