A Pill Formula of Professor Zhao Shaoqin for Advanced Abdominal Tumors

For patients with advanced abdominal tumors, Zhao Shaoqin advocated slow treatment with pills. Below is a pill formula he left for such patients, from Zhao Shaoqin Linzheng 400 Fa (400 Clinical Methods of Zhao Shaoqin), p. 54.

Xuanfuhua (Inula) 15 g, Danggui 30 g, Chishao and Baishao each 30 g, Rougui (cinnamon bark) 15 g, Yuanhu (Corydalis) 9 g, Zhi Biejia (processed turtle shell) 90 g, Dangshen 30 g, Fuling 30 g, Baizhu 30 g, Zhishi (immature bitter orange) 15 g, Huanglian (Coptis) 15 g, Ezhu (Curcuma) 15 g, Sanleng (Sparganium) 15 g, Duhuo (Angelica pubescens) 15 g, Fangfeng (Saposhnikovia) 15 g, Jiao Zhaotan (author's note: charred fried hawthorn, which breaks accumulation, digests food, resolves stasis and stops bleeding) 60 g, Qingpi and Chenpi each 30 g.

Grind all above into fine powder, refine with honey into pills the size of a paulownia seed. Take 6 g each morning, noon, and evening, or once morning and evening, washed down with plain water; pause if catching a cold. This is a formula Mr. Zhao Shaoqin summed up after sixty-odd years of clinical practice; he himself said its clinical results were good. I once compounded a batch for my own mother, adding only Roucongrong (Cistanche) to move the bowels and Ejiao to enrich blood and stop bleeding. The penultimate month of my mother's life she took this pill formula; her condition was fairly stable, and each day she could still go to a neighbor's home to watch them play cards. In treating advanced cancer patients, Mr. Zhao no longer expected cure, so he used light medication to reduce the burden on the body and prolong survival. My present view is that for advanced cancer, TCM treatment should not over-medicate either; Mr. Zhao's approach is a good one.

Also, for advanced cancer patients with constipation, Zhao Shaoqin liked to give equal parts raw and processed Dahuang (Rheum) ground into capsules to move the bowels. If the patient has difficulty passing stool, he may take this formula together with rhubarb capsules. For difficult urination, consider Wuling capsules as a diuretic; if Wuling capsules fail, further consider Jinkui Shenqi Wan or Jisheng Shenqi Wan. In handling advanced critically ill patients, Mr. Zhao insisted medication not be too heavy. My own view is that when the tumor has progressed to multiple metastases, all of them huge, one should abandon the fantasy of cure, treat rationally, adopt Mr. Zhao's approach, and prolong survival as long as possible.