Clinical Experiences of Korean Medicine Treatment against Urinary Bladder Cancer in General Practice

Abstract

Urinary bladder cancer (UBC) is one of the most common cancers, with 1 out of every 26 men and 1 out of every 80 women worldwide developing the disease during their lifetime. Moreover, it is a disease that predominantly affects the elderly and is becoming a major health problem as the elderly population continues to rapidly increase. In spite of the rapid development of medical science, the 5-year survival rate has remained around 75% since the 1990s, and the FDA has approved no new drugs for UBC over the last 10 years. In addition, most patients experience frequent recurrence and poor quality of life after diagnosis. Therefore, in order to solve unmet needs by alternative methods, we present our clinical cases of UBC where we observed outstanding results including regression and recurrence prevention exclusively through Traditional Korean Medicine such as (1) herbal therapy, (2) acupuncture, (3) pharmacopuncture and needle-embedding therapy, (4) moxibustion, and (5) cupping therapy. From our experience, it appears that multimodal strategies for synergistic efficiency are more effective than single Korean Medicine treatment. We hope this will encourage investigation of the efficacy of Korean Medicine treatment in clinical trials for UBC patients.

Medicago sativa Extracts Enhance the Anticancer Efficacy of GEM in PANC-1 Cells through Apoptosis Induction and BAX/BCL-2/CASP3 Expression Modulation

“…Consequently, several new cytotoxic chemicals are discovered in plants yearly, offering new avenues for cancer treatment [12,13]. Clinical investigations suggest that using plant-derived chemicals in standard anti-tumor regimens may enhance the effectiveness of cancer treatment [14]. The considerable advances achieved in this research area have resulted in the therapeutic use of many secondary plant compounds, whereas others are being investigated in clinical trials serving as anticancer medicines [12].…”

Plant-Derived Sulforaphane Suppresses Growth and Proliferation of Drug-Sensitive and Drug-Resistant Bladder Cancer Cell Lines In Vitro

“…Integrating plant-derived compounds into conventional anticancer treatment protocols is hoped to result in cancer regression and prevent cancer recurrence. Though a majority of patients are satisfied with applied CAM methods, many CAM compounds have not been well studied, and evidence-based trials are lacking [11,12]. The present study deals with the relevance of the natural isothiocyanate sulforaphane (SFN) as a beneficial CAM.…”

Olive Mill Wastewater Inhibits Growth and Proliferation of Cisplatin- and Gemcitabine-Resistant Bladder Cancer Cells In Vitro by Down-Regulating the Akt/mTOR-Signaling Pathway

“…Particularly the oral use of natural herbs and plant compounds has gained high interest [10], with the hope of strengthening the immune system, reducing unwanted therapeutic side effects and dynamically fighting the disease [11,12]. In fact, clinical studies indicate that integrating plant-derived compounds into conventional anti-tumor protocols may improve successful bladder cancer treatment [13].…”