A case report of Chinese medicine combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 breast cancer
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Case Report
Abstract: RATIONALE: According to Chinese medicine, surgical trauma and chemotherapy aggravate patients' qi and blood deficiency and damage to the veins and channels. The combination of Chinese medicine and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) can not only improve the above symptoms, but also is expected to alleviate the adverse effects of breast cancer chemotherapy, such as nausea and vomiting, thereby improving patient compliance to achieve tumor reduction or even tumor-free, and providing a new diagnostic and therapeutic idea for the clinical treatment of breast cancer. This paper reported a case of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) invasive breast cancer treated with traditional Chinese medicine combined with NACT. The lesion disappeared after 2 months of treatment and effectively reduced nausea and the symptoms of loss of appetite during NACT. PATIENT CONCERNS: The patient was a female, 54-year-old, unintentionally found a double breast lump with tingling pain over 1 year. During this period, the patient did not pay attention to any treatment, the mass increased progressively, hard texture, unclear boundary. Denied family genetic history of breast cancer. The patient was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma of both breasts (multiple metastases in right axillary and supraclavicular lymph nodes), T4N3M0 (tumour staging basis), stage IIC, HER-2 positive by breast needle biopsy. In the course of NACT, the patient complained of severe nausea and vomiting, which seriously affected the quality of life and chemotherapy confidence. DIAGNOSES: The patient was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma of both breasts (multiple metastases in right axillary and supraclavicular lymph nodes), T4N3M0, stage IIC, HER-2 positive. INTERVENTIONS: The patient was treated with NACT, and traditional Chinese medicine was taken orally. OUTCOMES: After 2 months of combination therapy, the breast mass shrank, the symptoms of nausea and vomiting were significantly relieved, and the appetite became better. The biopsy of the breast tissue cut at the completion of NACT showed no upper, lower, internal, outer, and basal lesions. LESSONS: Chinese medicine internal effect is remarkable and safe, new adjuvant chemotherapy combined with Chinese medicine internal effectively improve nausea, vomiting symptoms, and effectively inhibit tumor hyperplasia, shrink tumor lesions, this case allows us consider whether in breast cancer new adjuvant chemotherapy combined Chinese medicine internal effect can be better, and provide new ideas for clinical treatment.
Source: Medicine
Authors: Shiyuan Li, Shengliang Zhang
Language: English
Subfield: Complementary and alternative medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,950
OpenAlex ID: W4413273470