Decreased risk of colorectal cancer among patients with type 2 diabetes receiving Chinese herbal medicine: a population-based cohort study

Abstract

ObjectivesPatients with type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), but whether Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) can reduce this risk is unknown. This study investigated the effect that CHMs have on CRC risk in patients with type 2 diabetes.Research design and methodsThis cohort study used the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database to identify 54 744 patients, newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, aged 20–70 years, who were receiving treatment between 1998 and 2007. From this sample, we randomly selected 14 940 CHMs users and 14 940 non-CHMs users, using propensity scores matching. All were followed through 2012 to record CRC incidence. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to compute the hazard ratio (HR) of CRC by CHMs use.ResultsDuring follow-up, 235 CHMs users and 375 non-CHMs users developed CRC, incidence rates of 1.73% and 2.47% per 1000 person-years, respectively. CHM users had a significantly reduced risk of CRC compared with non-CHM users (adjusted HR=0.71; 95% CI 0.60 to 0.84). The greatest effect was in those receiving CHMs for more than 1 year. Huang-Qin, Xue-Fu-Zhu-Yu-Tang, Shu-Jing-Huo-Xue-Tang, Liu-Wei-Di-Huang-Wan, Ji-Sheng-Shen-Qi-Wan, Gan-Lu-Yin, Shao-Yao-Gan-Cao-Tang and Ban-Xia-Xie-Xin-Tang were significantly associated with lower risk of CRC.ConclusionIntegrating CHMs into the clinical management of patients with type 2 diabetes may be beneficial in reducing the risk of CRC.

Traditional Chinese medicine attenuates hospitalization and mortality risks in diabetic patients with carcinoma in situ in Taiwan

“…Our findings are similar to those previous studies. For example, a population-based cohort study revealed a reduced risk of colorectal cancer in patients with T2DM who were treated with TCM, 11 and a case-control study of TCM products showed a decrease in breast cancer risk in women with T2DM. 26 Although the mechanism by which T2DM increases the risk of cancer is still unclear, antidiabetic drugs, such as metformin, are believed to prevent cancer development, and their efficacies have been evaluated in clinical trials.…”

“… 2 Chronic intestinal inflammation is considered the most important mechanism leading to the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer. 11 , 31 One possible mechanism of TCM in reducing cancer risk is its anti-inflammatory properties. 32 In addition, our study showed that TCM therapy reduced the risk of hospitalization and mortality in diabetic patients with CIS regardless of sex, age, income, catastrophic illness, season, urbanization degree, and hospital level.…”

“…Auxiliary TCM therapy has shown obvious benefit for cancer, diabetes, and comorbid patients in previous studies; in fact, it has been reported to reduce the risk or incidence of colorectal cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. 11 , 12 Recently, TCM has become increasingly popular as an adjuvant treatment for patients with chronic diseases 13 , 14 ; however, the relationship between TCM and the risk of carcinoma in situ (CIS) in patients with T2DM remains unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the potential of TCM therapy to attenuate the rate of hospitalization or mortality in T2DM patients with CIS, by using data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) as a nationwide health insurance database.…”

LDP alleviates TKI-induced proteinuria through reversing the expression of RelA in renal tissues

“…Zheng et al confirmed that LDP can inhibit the metastasis of breast cancer by inhibiting the expression of TCF-1, β-catenin, cyclin-D1 ( 16 ). In addition, LDP can also suppress the development of gastrointestinal tumors ( 17 , 18 ). This study investigated the effect of LDP on TKIs-induced proteinuria and the possible mechanism, and it was demonstrated that both the function and pathological changes of kidneys in mice treated with TKIs were improved after LDP treatment.…”

Alismatis Rhizoma Triterpenes Alleviate High-Fat Diet-Induced Insulin Resistance in Skeletal Muscle of Mice

“…AR is currently included in the Pharmacopoeia of China not only as a diuretic but also as a representative hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic traditional Chinese herbal medicine. AR is an important component of many famous Chinese formulas for hypoglycemic from Febrile and Miscellaneous Disease (Shang Han Lun in Chinese) or Synopsis of Golden Chamber, including Zexie docotion, Ba wei shen qi wan, and Liu wei di huang wan [ 5 , 9 , 10 ], for usage as hypoglycemic because of their low toxicity, high effectiveness, and minimal side effects. Our previous studies reported the hypoglycemic activity of the ethanol extract of AR [ 11 , 12 ].…”