Efficacy and safety of acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of primary liver cancer

Abstract

Background: Primary liver cancer (PLC) is a common cancer, and its morbidity and mortality are ranked 6th and 3rd in the world for malignant tumors, respectively. And this number is still on the rise, seriously endangering people's health. In recent years, acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine have been widely used in the treatment of PLC, and there are few restrictions. However, we have not found a meta-analysis of their synergistic effects. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis will evaluate the efficacy and acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of primary liver cancer. Method: We will search the following databases from inception up to August 20, 2021: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, AMED, Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP, CBM, and Wanfang. There will be no restrictions regarding publication date or language. We will apply a combination of medical keywords and words, including “acupuncture,” “Chinese herbal medicine” and “primary liver cancer”. Additionally, we will manually search all reference lists from relevant systematic reviews to find other eligible studies. We will use the random effects model in REVMAN v5.3 for meta-analysis. The study for acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of PLC was a randomized controlled study. Two researchers will independently review the research selection, data extraction, and research quality assessments. Finally, we will observe the outcome measures. Results: This study will provide evidence-based medical evidence for the treatment of PLC with a combination of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, and provide new ideas and methods for the treatment of PLC. Registration number: INPLASY202180103

Therapeutic Effect of Catgut Implantation at Acupoint in a Mouse Model of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Suppressing Immune Escape

“…Li et al reported that the combined treatment of acupuncture and Shenqi Yigan decoction elevated the proportion of CD3 + , CD4 + T lymphocyte subsets, and CD4 + /CD8 + ratio in peripheral blood, whereas it decreased the proportion of CD8 + , thereby improving the hepatic function of patients with HBV-induced liver fibrosis and reducing the inflammatory reaction [ 28 ]. Dong et al indicated the synergistic effect of acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine, and highlighted evidence-based medical observation for the treatment of primary liver cancer (PLC) [ 29 ]. Ling et al elaborated the guidelines of using transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for advanced PLC in combination with TCM drugs, moxibustion therapy and acupuncture [ 30 ].…”

“…In the tumor microenvironment, IL-10 functions to thwart immune responses and promote the immune escape of tumor cells. The research shows that the PD-L1 expression of DCs is upregulated after IL-10 treatment, which may be the mechanism of immune tolerance in the tumor microenvironment [ 29 ]. Therefore, we evaluated the aberrantly expression of CD4 + , CD8 + , and IL-10 levels.…”

Combined application of the traditional Chinese herbal medicine, Renvatinib, and Carrelizumab in a patient with primary liver cancer: A case report and literature review

“…Clinical applications of TCHM have demonstrated its potential to alleviate symptoms, enhance life quality, and reduce the toxicity associated with conventional cancer therapies such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy [3]. Additionally, it has shown promise in improving biochemical indices, preserving liver function, and extending survival [4].…”