Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Apr 27, 2025; 17(4): 100800
Published online Apr 27, 2025. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v17.i4.100800
Association of Sijunzi decoction plus chemotherapy with gastrointestinal function and serum markers in patients after gastric carcinoma surgery
Xiao-Dong Wang, Xiao-Qing Su, Hong Gao
Xiao-Dong Wang, Hong Gao, Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenyang 110032, Liaoning Province, China
Xiao-Qing Su, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tawan Community Health Service Center, Shenyang 110032, Liaoning Province, China
Co-first authors: Xiao-Dong Wang and Xiao-Qing Su.
Author contributions: Wang XD and Su XQ designed the study, collected and analyzed data, and wrote the manuscript; Wang XD and Su XQ participated in the study’s conception and data collection; Wang XD, Su XQ and Gao H participated in study design and provided guidance. All authors read and approved the final version. Wang XD and Su XQ contributed equally to this work as co-first authors.
Supported by Liaoning Provincial Science and Technology Plan Joint Plan, No. 2023JH2/101700149.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Ethic Committee of Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Informed consent statement: Patients were not required to give informed consent to the study because the analysis used anonymous clinical data that were obtained after each patient agreed to treatment by written consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: We have no financial relationships to disclose.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Hong Gao, PhD, Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 33 Beiling Street, Huanggu District, Shenyang 110032, Liaoning Province, China. lnzy_gaohong@163.com
Received: December 20, 2024
Revised: January 24, 2025
Accepted: February 25, 2025
Published online: April 27, 2025
Processing time: 98 Days and 23.5 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

The deleterious effects of surgical trauma and subsequent postoperative complications pose significant challenges to the smooth recovery of patients after gastric cancer (GC) resection despite the substantial curative benefits provided by surgical interventions for GC. Hence, the investigation of more optimal and efficacious treatment approaches has become an urgent necessity in the medical community.

AIM

To investigate the association of Sijunzi decoction plus chemotherapy with the gastrointestinal function and serum markers of patients after GC surgery.

METHODS

This study included patients who underwent GC surgery from June 2022 to February 2024. The control group included 45 patients who received chemotherapy (oxaliplatin + calcium folinate + 5-fluorouracil), whereas the research group consisted of 54 patients who received Sijunzi decoction therapy in addition to the treatment administered in the control group. Comparative analyses were conducted from the following perspectives: Gastrointestinal function (defecation time, intestinal gas discharge time, and hospitalization time), serum markers [carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen (CA) 125, and CA199], nutritional indicators [total protein (TP) and transferrin (TRF), traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome score, and grades III–IV adverse events (gastrointestinal reactions, renal/liver function impairment, and myelosuppression).

RESULTS

The two groups demonstrated similar defecation time (P > 0.05), but the intestinal gas discharge time and hospitalization time were significantly shortened in the research group (P < 0.05). Further, the research group exhibited significant CEA, CA125, and CA199 reductions after treatment, which were lower compared to the control group, as well as notable increases in TP and TRF that were statistically higher than the control group (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, the research group demonstrated an evident decrease in TCM syndrome scores in areas, such as poor appetite, epigastric distension and pain, fatigue and weakness (P < 0.01), and abdominal distension after eating, which are notably lower than those in the control group (P < 0.01), with a comparable incidence of grades III–IV adverse events (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Our research results indicate that Sijunzi decoction plus chemotherapy exerts a good rehabilitation-promoting effect on gastrointestinal function in patients after GC surgery and significantly downregulates abnormally increased CEA, CA125, and CA199 levels.

Keywords: Sijunzi decoction; Chemotherapy; Gastric carcinoma; Gastrointestinal function; Serum markers

Core Tip: Considering the scarcity of existing research regarding the association of the combination of Sijunzi decoction and chemotherapy with the gastrointestinal function and serum markers of patients after gastric cancer (GC) surgery, this investigation has meticulously conducted a comprehensive, multi-faceted comparative analysis of the clinical efficacy between the therapeutic approach of Sijunzi decoction combined with chemotherapy and chemotherapy alone in such patient populations. The assessment covers a wide array of aspects, including gastrointestinal function, serum markers, nutritional parameters, traditional Chinese medicine syndrome scores, and adverse events. The research results confirmed that the combined Sijunzi decoction and chemotherapy treatment effectively alleviated symptoms, such as poor appetite, epigastric distension and pain, fatigue and weakness, and abdominal distension after eating, besides its remarkable capacity to improve gastrointestinal function, optimize nutritional status, and rectify abnormally increased serum tumor markers in patients after GC surgery. These results will provide novel perspectives and valuable guidance for the clinical management of patients after GC surgery.