Background: Peritoneal cancer is advanced stage of abdominal cancer. Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) that is the main surgical regimen for peritoneal cancer patients to delay the illness. However, postoperative recovery is a long process due to extensive removal of abdominal and pelvic organs by CRS. Meanwhile, integrated Chinese and western medicine could improve life quality of cancers.
Methods: Investigating on change of disease symptoms indicators and constitution and syndrome types of peritoneal cancer patients through cross-sectional study that included three stage, before CRS plus HIPEC, within 1 week and within 3 months after CRS plus HIPEC.
Results: Total 100 patients through CRS plus HIPEC included analysis. Within 1 week after CRS plus HIPEC, both blood albumin (ALB) and haemoglobin (HGB) decreased apparently comparing to before; within 3 months after CRS plus HIPEC, ALB and HGB elevated apparently comparing to within 1 week; all the differences were statistically significant (P<0.01). The differences of blood carbohydrate antigen (CA) 125, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), D-dimer (D-D), troponin I (TnI) , n-terminal precursor of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), were statistically significant (P<0.01) between before and within 1 week and 3 months after CRS plus HIPEC. The differences of both constitution and syndrome types were statistically significant (P<0.01) between before and within 1 week and 3 months after CRS plus HIPEC.
Conclusions: Peritoneal cancer patients’ diseases and symptoms changed apparently between before and after CRS plus HIPEC. Although, the symptomatic treatment methods by western medicine could apparently improve ALB, HGB, CA125, CEA, D-D, TnI, BNP, as well as cardiorespiratory function in a short term. Constitution groups and syndrome types of peritoneal cancer patients occurred dynamic variability between before and after CRS plus HIPEC. Generally, the primary tendency was healthy energy deficiency gradually, while pathogen excess through CRS plus HIPEC treatment. Constitutions and syndromes were mixed and complicated. Thus, to improve life quality and survival status of peritoneal cancer patients after CRS plus HIPEC, suggesting treatment integrating with Chinese medicine through the whole stage that considers diseases, symptoms, constitutions, syndromes, and the whole person.