Modified Liujunzi Decoction (六君子汤) Alleviates Chemotherapy-Induced Anorexia in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Propensity Score Matched Case-Control Study

Objective:To evaluate the effect of Chinese herbal medicine formula,modified Liujunzi Decoction(六君子汤,MLJZT),for anorexia,utilized as adjunct therapy during chemotherapy treatment for patients with advaneed non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods:The study adopted a propensity score-matched design based on a prospective database.From February 2016 to September 2017,patients with advanced NSCLC that received both cisplatin-based chemotherapy and MLJZT(IM group)were 1:1 propensity score-matched to patients that received the cisplatin-based chemotherapy alone(control group).Changes in anorexia and weight,as well as side effects were evaluated per week within 4-cycle chemotherapy.Results:Overall,156 patients with advaneed NSCLC that had received chemotherapy from our database were ide ntified and 53 pairs were matched successfully.In total,48.6%(50/53)of patients in the IM group had anorexia-improvement compared to 28.3%(15/53)of patients in the control group,and a total of 39.6%(21/53)of patients in the control group had a worsening of anorexia compared to only 7.8%(8/53)of patients in the IM group(P<0.01).The weight reduced significantly over time in the control group(-2.36±2.53 kg)as compared to the IM group(-0.62±3.89 kg,P<0.01).CHM didn't reduce the efficacy of chemotherapy in shrinking tumor size,and didn't increase the incidence of side effects such as hematological and hepatorenal toxicity.Conclusion:MLJZT is effective and safe for alleviating anorexia in patients with NSCLC.These fin dings warrant the con duct of a randomized con trolled trial.