Clinical research on the efficacy of self-made sichongsan in combination with gefitinib on NSCLC patients with EGFR mutation

This study is to investigate the efficacy of self-made sichongsan in combination with gefitinib on non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation. A total of 47 NSCLC patients in advanced stage with EGFR mutation who had not received any treatment before admission were divided into the control group (n = 23) and the observation group (n = 24). Patients in the control group underwent gefitinib treatment, while those in the observation group additionally took self-made sichongsan for treatment. The objective response rate of the observation group was 75%, significantly higher than 52.18% in the control group (P < 0.05). Before treatment, comparisons of the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 153 (CA153) levels in serum showed no statistical significance (P > 0.05). At the 12th week of treatment, the levels of CEA and CA153 in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). In the observation group, the incidence rate of adverse reaction was 16.7%, which was significantly lower than 47.8% in the control group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, in terms of the first-line treatment for advanced NSCLC patients with EGFR mutation, the efficacy of self-made sichongsan in combination with gefitinib is superior to the single administration of gefitinib, and the former can more effectively decrease the levels of CEA and CA153 in serum of patients and reduce the incidence rate of adverse effects.