Loading
Gastric Cancer Management and Outcomes · Journal article
Eurasian Journal of Medicine and Oncology · September 8, 2026
Early or partial results. Treat as a signal, not a conclusion.
This retrospective observational study reports a numerical but not statistically significant improvement in median overall survival (17.0 vs 14.7 months) and progression-free survival (16.0 vs 12.0 months) with a phlegm-resolving Chinese medicine regimen in 75 patients with advanced gastric cancer compared to 75 controls. The overlapping 95% confidence intervals on the primary outcome and absence of randomization limit the strength of inference regarding efficacy.
Retrospective observational cohort study. Patients with advanced gastric cancer; 150 total (75 per group). No specific details on enrollment setting, age, stage, prior treatments, or eligibility criteria are provided in the source.. Intervention: Phlegm-resolving regimen comprising Ziyin Huatan recipe combined with Xiaoaiping injection and syndrome differentiation-guided therapy combined with various antineoplastic Chinese patent medicine injections. Compared with: Control group (specific treatment details not provided in source). n = 150.
Median OS: 17.0 months (95% CI: 13.16–20.84) in study group versus 14.7 months (95% CI: 8.89–20.51) in control group; no significant difference reported. Median PFS: 16.0 months (95% CI: 11.17–16.83) in study group versus 12.0 months (95% CI: 7.48–16.52) in control group. 1-year PFS rates: 61.33% (study) versus 49.3% (control); 3-year PFS rates: 21.3% (study) versus 14.7% (control).
No reporting of adverse events, treatment details, or dose/duration of the Chinese medicine interventions.
The numerical PFS advantage and reported KPS improvement warrant further investigation in a randomized controlled trial; however, this retrospective design cannot establish causality or adjust for confounding, and the overlapping OS confidence intervals do not support a definitive efficacy claim at this stage.
Retrospective observational study without randomization or blinding, comparing historical cohorts with overlapping confidence intervals on the primary endpoint, raising hypothesis rather than establishing efficacy.
As stated by the source record.
Quoted from the source exactly as published.
The numerical PFS advantage and reported KPS improvement warrant further investigation in a randomized controlled trial; however, this retrospective design cannot establish causality or adjust for confounding, and the overlapping OS confidence intervals do not support a definitive efficacy claim at this stage.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
Introduction: Traditional Chinese medicine has been shown to improve survival and immune function in patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC). Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a phlegm-resolving regimen (Ziyin Huatan recipe combined with Xiaoaiping injection) and syndrome differentiation-guided therapy combined with various antineoplastic Chinese patent medicine injections in AGC. Methods: Data from 150 patients with AGC were retrospectively analyzed: 75 in the study group and 75 in the control group. The clinical data were analyzed, including Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS), 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates, overall survival (OS), median OS, progression-free survival (PFS), and median PFS. Results: At 3 months, the mean KPS score significantly increased from 55.33 ± 6.44 to 73.07 ± 8.70 in the study group (p = 0.001 [< 0.01]), and from 54.93 ± 6.23 to 72.40 ± 8.67 (p = 0.001 [< 0.01]) in the control group. There was no significant difference in the changes of KPS score between the two groups. The median OS was 17.0 months in the study group (95% confidence interval [CI]: 13.16–20.84) versus 14.7 months in the control group (95% CI: 8.89–20.51). There was no significant difference in the OS between the two groups. The median PFS was 16.0 months in the study group (95% CI: 11.17–16.83) versus 12.0 months in the control group (95% CI: 7.48–16.52). The 1-year and 3-year PFS rates in the study group were higher than in the control group (61.33% versus 49.3% and 21.3% versus 14.7%, respectively). Conclusion: Our retrospective study suggests that phlegm-resolving regimens may confer survival benefits in patients with AGC; accordingly, such regimens can be considered for incorporation into standardized treatment strategies.
Taken from the source record, never inferred. Follow any of these and new work involving them reaches your briefing.