Survival-Prolonging Effects of a Traditional Chinese Medicine Pancreas-Cleansing, Clog-Removing (Qiyi Huaji) Formula on Pancreatic Cancer and Mechanism Study.

Objectives To evaluate the performance of a traditional Chinese medicine pancreas-cleansing, clog-removing (Qiyi Huaji, QYHJ) formula in prolonging survival of pancreatic cancer (PC), stabilizing tumor growth, and inhibiting tumour cell proliferation. Methods A subcutaneous mouse xenograft model was established by using human PC cell line SW1990, from which tumour masses were collected after they were euthanasized. Nude mice with tumours were inoculated in situ and randomly divided into two batches. Each batch consists of three groups: The survival, maximum tumour diameter and transverse diameter of the mice were recorded. After 24, 48 and 72 hours of drug interventions, the optical densities at 490 nm were measured. Results The QYHJ group had significantly longer survival and higher proliferation inhibition rates than those of the Gem and control groups (P < 0.01), but the QYHJ group and Gem group had similar tumour volume and weight (P > 0.05). Conclusion QYHJ formula effectively prolonged the survival of PC and inhibited the proliferation of tumor cells, thus being worthy of promotion in clinical practice.