[Treatment of operated late gastric carcinoma with prescription of strengthening the patient's resistance and dispelling the invading evil in combination with chemotherapy: follow-up study of 158 patients and experimental study in animals].

158 cases of late gastric carcinoma (11 males and 47 females, age 30-70 years) were treated postoperatively with TCM prescriptions of strengthening the patient's resistance and dispelling the invading evil in combination with chemotherapy. The main ingredients were Radix Codonopsis Pilosulae, Radix Astragali seu Hedysari, Rhizoma Atractylodes, Herba Solani Hyrati, Herba Oldenlandiae and Herba Salviae. The prescription was individualized by adding or subtracting some herbs according to TCM syndrome diagnosis at the time of patient's visit. The decoction was given daily for a long time, three to four years or even longer. It was given alone or together with regimes of chemotherapy at random. The average survival rates at 3 and 5 years were 41.07% and 30.36% respectively. Seven patients have lived for more than 11 years. 10 years survival rate was 12.5%. The combination of Chinese medicine with chemotherapy was better than chemotherapy regime alone (single 5-Fu or CCNU+5-Fu, MMF). Immunological studies of the survivors revealed an enhancement of both humoral and cellular immunity especially the function of peripheral NK cells. The decoction had been given to mice bearing Ehrlich ascites tumor. The amount of ascitic fluid was reduced and its cancer cell count decreased besides a significant increase in over-all survival rate of the animals. It suggested that the above prescription might have an inhibitory or even killing effect on tumor cells. T cell immunity of the treated mice was also improved as seen among patients.