Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world, with breast cancer being the most prevalent cancer. Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is one of the most serious side effects of chemotherapy. Because the current CINV treatment option has several flaws, alternative treatment options are required. Ginger has traditionally been used to treat nausea and vomiting, and it also has anticancer properties in breast cancer cells. Based on these findings, researchers investigated whether using ginger to treat CINV in breast cancer patients is both effective and safe. We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, and Wanfang from inception to June 2022. Outcomes included Rhodes Index Scores of Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching, severity and frequency of CINV. Five RCTs were included. We pooled all included data and performed subgroup analysis by types of CINV. Overall, authors found that ginger was associated with a reduction in CINV. Subgroup and sensitivity analysis revealed that managing severity of acute CINV in breast cancer patients with ginger was efficient. In terms of managing delayed CINV in breast cancer patients, ginger was also statistically significant. The authors concluded that ginger may be helpful in lowering both acute and delayed CINV in breast cancer patients. Since there were no serious side effects, ginger is thought to be safe.

Introduction: Stomach cancer, historically, has a low survival rate advances in curative resection procedures. Objectives: To assess the potential benefits of traditional herbal medicines in conjunction with chemotherapy in postoperative gastric cancer patients in terms of overall survival and disease-free survival. Data Sources: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, a Chinese database (CNKI), a Korean database, a Japanese database, AMED, and CINAHL up to September 2016. We summarized survival data from all RCTs. Study Selection: All RCTs of oral traditional medicines for resectable gastric cancer compared with chemotherapy alone were eligible. Data Extraction: Thirteen eligible trials with survival data (1075 patients) were deemed eligible for inclusion. Results: There were 217 documented deaths of the 574 patients assigned to adjuvant traditional medicines groups and 319 documented deaths of the 501 patients assigned to the chemotherapy-only groups. Adjuvant traditional medicines were associated with a statistically significant benefit in terms of overall survival rate (hazard ratio = 0.56; 95% confidence interval = 0.47-0.66; P < .00001) and disease-free survival (hazard ratio = 0.54; 95% confidence interval = 0.43-0.66; P < .00001). Conclusion: Among the RCTs included, the inclusion of postoperative adjuvant traditional medicines was associated with reduced risk of death in gastric cancer patients, when survival rates were compared with the group of patients who received chemotherapy alone. However, most of the included studies utilized are thought to be of low quality, so it would certainly appear that more trials are both advisable and necessary to arrive at correct and convincing conclusions.

Background. Anorexia occurs in about half of cancer patients and is associated with high mortality rate. However, safe and long‐term use of anorexia treatment is still an unmet need. Objective. The purpose of the present study was to examine the feasibility of Sipjeondaebo‐tang (Juzen‐taiho‐to, Shi‐Quan‐Da‐Bu‐Tang) for cancer‐related anorexia. Methods. A total of 32 participants with cancer anorexia were randomized to either Sipjeondaebo‐tang group or placebo group. Participants were given 3 g of Sipjeondaebo‐tang or placebo 3 times a day for 4 weeks. The primary outcome was a change in the Anorexia/Cachexia Subscale of Functional Assessment of Anorexia/Cachexia Therapy (FAACT). The secondary outcomes included Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of anorexia, FAACT scale, and laboratory tests. Results. Anorexia and quality of life measured by FAACT and VAS were improved after 4 weeks of Sipjeondaebo‐tang treatment. However, there was no significant difference between changes of Sipjeondaebo‐tang group and placebo group. Conclusions. Sipjeondaebo‐tang appears to have potential benefit for anorexia management in patients with cancer. Further large‐scale studies are needed to ensure the efficacy. Trial Registration. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02468141.

Background: This study examined the effect of a portable low-frequency electrostimulation (ES) device on patients diagnosed with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) immediately after chemotherapy for breast cancer. Methods: A single-center, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted. A total of 72 patients newly diagnosed with CIPN were enrolled and randomly placed into the ES (n = 36) or the sham ES group (SES; n = 36). Duloxetine or pregabalin was prescribed to all participants from the initial assessment. The devices for 14 days, at least twice a day, for at least 120 minutes. The primary outcomes were the overall intensities of the CIPN symptoms as assessed using Numerical Rating Scale (NRS). Secondary outcomes included Total Neuropathy Score (TNS), European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life (EORTC-QLQ), Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy 20 (CIPN20), Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B), and Instrument on Pattern Identification and Evaluation for CIPN (IPIE-CIPN). Results: No differences in NRS scores were found between the patients in the ES and the SES group (P = 0.267). Patients in both groups showed significantly reduced CIPN intensities (ES P < .001; SES P < .001). No significant differences between the groups were found in TNS, EORTC-QLQ, CIPN20, and FACT-B. The general symptoms of CIPN diagnosed as cold arthralgia showed significance only in the ES group (P = .006). Conclusion: Compared with a placebo, the effectiveness of the low-frequency ES device with pharmacological intervention was not significantly different, but a therapeutic effect was possible.

Chelidonium majus has been used as a traditional medicine in China and western countries for various diseases, including inflammation and cancer. However, the anti-cancer effect of chelidonine, a major compound of C. majus extracts, on pancreatic cancer remains poorly understood. In this study, we found that treatment with chelidonine inhibited proliferation of BxPC-3 and MIA PaCa-2 human pancreatic cancer cells. Annexin-V/propidium iodide staining assay showed that this growth inhibitory effect of chelidonine was induced through apoptosis. We found that chelidonine treatment upregulated mRNA levels and transcription factor activity in both cell lines. Increases in protein expression levels of p53, GADD45A, p21 and cleaved caspase-3 were also observed, with more distinct changes in MIA PaCa-2 cells compared to the BxPC-3 cells. These results suggest that chelidonine induces pancreatic cancer apoptosis through the p53 and GADD45A pathways. Our findings provide new insights into the use of chelidonine for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.