Changtong paste improves gastrointestinal function of patients after colorectal cancer surgery.

OBJECTIVE

To study the effects of Changtong Paste on gastrointestinal function after colorectal cancer surgery.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 216 patients who underwent colorectal cancer surgery at the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College from June 2021 to June 2023. Patients were divided into two groups according to their treatment plan: the control group (n=109), who received abdominal multi-source therapy irradiation, and the study group (n=107), who received Changtong Paste in conjunction with the same abdominal irradiation therapy. The two groups were compared in terms of hemorheology, gastrointestinal hormones, immune function, cancer-related fatigue, quality of life, gastrointestinal function, duration of hospital stay, and clinical efficacy.

RESULTS

After treatment, both groups demonstrated significant reductions in plasma viscosity, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, high-shear and low-shear whole blood viscosity, somatostatin (SS), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and scores on the Piper Fatigue Scale-Revised (PFS-R) compared to before treatment, with the study group showing lower levels. Conversely, levels of motilin (MTL), immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgA, IgM, and Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30) scores significantly increased after treatment, with the study group showing higher values (P < 0.05). Additionally, indicators for gastrointestinal function recovery and length of hospital stay were shorter in the study group than in the control group (P < 0.05). The total clinical effective rate in the study group (94.39%) was higher than that of the control group (84.40%) (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Changtong Paste therapy can effectively regulate hemorheology, improve gastrointestinal hormone levels, promote gastrointestinal and immune function recovery, alleviate cancer-related fatigue, enhance quality of life, and shorten hospital stays after colorectal cancer surgery.