Case Study: Ms. Chen, Recurrent and Metastatic Ovarian Cancer Treated With Pure TCM
Ms. Chen, first consultation in Beijing on December 25, 2016
Ms. Chen, female, born May 14, 1969, a native of Gansu, long resident in Jiuquan, recently convalescing mainly in Lanzhou. She once studied medicine but did not practice it. She worked in a clerical post at an enterprise in Jiuquan.
In June 2012 the patient herself felt an enlarged supraclavicular lymph node; after taking anti-inflammatory medicine for a few days with little effect, she went to Lanzhou for a checkup and was found to have advanced ovarian cancer.
Because the stage was too advanced, local doctors were reluctant to operate; she later found a famous surgical specialist in Beijing and underwent surgery. Postoperative radiotherapy followed.
After August 20, 2012, she began taking Chinese medicine prescribed by a specialist at Beijing's Guang'anmen Hospital. In July 2015 she stopped the Chinese medicine and practiced Guo Lin Qigong; her tumor markers rose slowly. She resumed that TCM specialist's herbs and the markers fell, but after a month the markers could no longer be controlled. Radiotherapy was then given and the markers fell.
The patient's CA125 was frequently abnormal; during treatment she caught cold and developed arrhythmia. Before illness she had myocardial ischemia.
Dissatisfied with the results of prior treatments, the patient came to Beijing for a face-to-face consultation with me and decided on pure TCM treatment.
At present she has sore and weak loins and knees, tires easily, and must rest to recover. She has hyperthyroidism and flies into rages easily. It began as hypothyroidism and later turned to hyperthyroidism.
Sleep at night is adequate; appetite is fair. Bowel movements are regular every morning, not dry, not loose, formed and easy. She feels she has yin deficiency: slightly warm, drying foods cause "heating fire," and she drinks chrysanthemum tea year-round; taking cold medicines does not cause loose stools.
On palpation, several enlarged lymph nodes were found in the groin, one of them distinctly protruding above the skin, about the size of a duck's egg.
The right cun and guan pulses were slippery, large and forceful; the left pulse was deep and moderate.
Tongue pale with scant coating and red points. She had recently had a fever and was rushed to hospital emergency.
Decoction:
Mohan Lian (Ecliptae Herba) 30g, Nüzhenzi (Ligustri Lucidi Fructus) 30g, Tusizi (Cuscutae Semen) 15g, Shayuanzi (Astragali Complanati Semen) 15g, Pugongying (Taraxaci Herba) 30g, Yejuhua (Chrysanthemi Indici Flos) 12g, Tiankuizi (Adenophorae Fructus) 12g, Diding (Violae Herba) 12g, Jinyinhua (Lonicerae Flos) 15g, Cheqiancao (Plantaginis Herba) 12g, Huainiuxi (Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix) 12g, Ezhu (Curcumae Rhizoma) 9g, Lianqiao (Forsythiae Fructus) 12g, Tubaimu (Batulrae Bulbus) 12g, Haifushi (Pumex) 30g (decoct first)
Neixiao Luoli Wan, three times a day.
Xihuang Wan (Beijing Tongrentang), once a day, 6–12g each time, taken with yellow wine at bedtime.
Pingxiao Pian (Xi'an Zhengda), three times a day, 4–8 tablets each time.
Neixiao Sanjie San (my self-designed powder containing anti-tumor medicinals such as wugong [Scolopendra] and quanxie [Scorpio]).
Take the herbs for five days, rest two days; stop during colds; exercise daily. Avoid all seafood, shrimp, crab, citrus fruit, pickled vegetables, grilled food, spicy food, beef and mutton.
Follow-up on March 24, 2017, in Lanzhou as I passed through
Since taking the above formula, symptoms improved and energy clearly improved; the lymph node protruding above the skin is no longer visible. On March 7, MRI follow-up at the Lanzhou Military Region General Hospital (image no. 112713031) showed that multiple bilateral inguinal lymph nodes were still present, but compared with the film of August 11, 2016, they had clearly shrunk.
Right pulse slightly wiry and slippery, hard on deep pressure, chi pulse fine and wiry; left pulse deep and fine.
Added Xiaoyao Wan to the patent medicines; everything else as before.
Added to the decoction: Zexie (Alismatis Rhizoma) 12, Chao Baizhu (stir-fried Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma) 15, Sheng Huangqi (raw Astragali Radix) 30, Pian Jianghuang (curcuma slice) 6, Chanyi (Cicadae Periostracum) 6, Chao Jiangcan (stir-fried Bombyx Batryticatus) 10, Daji (Cirsii Japonici Herba) 15, Xiaoji (Cirsii Herba) 15.
Neixiao Sanjie San (2–3 times a day, 1–2g each time).
Take herbs five days, rest two days; stop during colds; exercise daily. Avoid all seafood, shrimp, crab, citrus, pickles, grilled food, spicy food, beef and mutton.
Follow-up in Beijing on July 16, 2017
Pulse moderate; right pulse slightly hard; tongue pale red without coating. Stool sometimes soft and loose. The solid tumor has completely vanished.
Since the solid tumor has already completely vanished, treatment should be gentle to prevent recurrence; no further aggressive attacking is appropriate.
- Shenqi Shiyiwei Keli (Shangao Pharmaceutical), three times a day, one granule each time.
- Fufang Banmao Jiaonang (Guizhou Yibai Pharmaceutical), two capsules each time, twice a day.
- Neixiao Sanjie San, 1–2g dissolved in water each time, twice a day.
Take herbs five days, rest two days; stop during colds; exercise daily. Avoid all seafood, shrimp, crab, citrus, pickles, grilled food, spicy food, beef and mutton.
She was instructed to return for follow-up in late September.
The efficacy of this patient's recurrence-prevention treatment is still under observation.