Chinese Herbal Medicine Combined With Liuzijue Exercise in Physiological Rehabilitation After Video-assisted Lung Lobectomy for Cancer: A Prospective Propensity Score Matching Study

Author: Ao Qi1, Yiyun He1, Yifeng Gu1, Congmeng Zhang1, Xiong Qin2, Yichao Wang1, Yong Yang2, Jialin Yao1, Huiling Zhou1, Wenxiao Yang1, Lingzi Su1, Qin Wang1, Jiajun Song1, Lijing Jiao1, Yabin Gong1, Jiaqi Li1, Ling Xu1
Affiliation: <sup>1</sup> Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China. <sup>2</sup> Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Conference/Journal: Integr Cancer Ther
Date published: 2024 Jan-Dec
Other: Volume ID: 23 , Pages: 15347354241261977 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1177/15347354241261977. , Word Count: 254


Objective:
To observe the clinical efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine combined with Liuzijue exercise on the physiological symptoms and quality of life (QoL) in postoperative patients with early-stage lung cancer.

Methods:
One hundred and eighty-three lung cancer patients who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) were categorize into either a traditional Chinese medicine treatment group (CM) or a control group (non-traditional Chinese medicine treatment, NC), among whom 73 underwent Chinese herbal medicine and Liuzijue therapy, while 110 underwent no comprehensive treatment with traditional Chinese medicine. The propensity score matching (PSM) method with a 1:2 ratio was used to balance the baseline characteristics and evaluate the efficacy of CM in improving postoperative symptoms and QoL.

Results:
Cough, dyspnea, chest pain, and fatigue were the most common clinical symptoms after VATS. Except for chest pain, they were all correlated with the scope of operation (P < .05). After PSM, 165 patients were identified in the matched cohort, and the covariates of gender, age, operative site, and scope of operation were balanced between the 2 groups (P > .05). In the domain of global health status, the improvement in QoL in CM was greater than that in NC (6.06 ± 15.83 vs -1.06 ± 14.68, P = .005). In terms of symptoms, improvements in cough (1.69 ± 3.15 vs 0.38 ± 2.63, P = .006), dyspnea during climbing stairs (-10.30 ± 16.82 vs -1.82 ± 17.97, P = .004), and pain (-0.76 ± 1.32 vs -0.08 ± 1.31, P = .002) in CM were better than in NC.

Conclusion:
Comprehensive treatment with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can provide therapeutic benefits in physiological rehabilitation after VATS for cancer.

Keywords: Chinese medicine; comprehensive treatment; lung cancer; physiological rehabilitation; postoperative; quality of life.

PMID: 38907709 DOI: 10.1177/15347354241261977