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The clinical use of Kampo medicines (traditional Japanese herbal treatments) for controlling cancer patients' symptoms in Japan: a national cross-sectional survey.

ABSTRACT: Kampo medicines are traditional Japanese medicines produced from medicinal plants and herbs. Even though the efficacy of Kampo medicines for controlling cancer-related symptoms is being reported, their actual nationwide clinical use has not been comprehensively investigated. We aimed to investigate physicians' recognition of Kampo medicines and their clinical use for cancer patients in the field of palliative care.A cross-sectional self-administered anonymous questionnaire was distributed to 549 physicians working in palliative care teams at 388 core cancer treatment hospitals and 161 certified medical institutions that have palliative care units (PCUs).Valid responses were obtained from 311 physicians (response rate, 56.7%) who were evenly distributed throughout the country without significant geographical biases. Kampo medicines were prescribed for controlling cancer-related symptoms by 64.3% of the physicians. The symptoms treated with Kampo medicines were numbness/hypoesthesia (n?=?99, 49.5%), constipation (n?=?76, 38.0%), anorexia/weight loss (n?=?72, 36%), muscle cramps (n?=?71, 35.5%) and languor/fatigue (n?=?64, 32.0%). Regarding open issues about prescription, 60.7% (n?=?173) of the physicians raised the issue that the dosage forms need to be better devised.To increase the clinical use of Kampo medicines, more evidence from clinical studies is necessary. In addition, their mechanisms of action should be clarified through laboratory studies.

SUBMITTER: Iwase S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3537749 | biostudies-other | 2012 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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The clinical use of Kampo medicines (traditional Japanese herbal treatments) for controlling cancer patients' symptoms in Japan: a national cross-sectional survey.

Iwase Satoru S Yamaguchi Takuhiro T Miyaji Tempei T Terawaki Kiyoshi K Inui Akio A Uezono Yasuhito Y

BMC complementary and alternative medicine 20121120

<h4>Background</h4>Kampo medicines are traditional Japanese medicines produced from medicinal plants and herbs. Even though the efficacy of Kampo medicines for controlling cancer-related symptoms is being reported, their actual nationwide clinical use has not been comprehensively investigated. We aimed to investigate physicians' recognition of Kampo medicines and their clinical use for cancer patients in the field of palliative care.<h4>Methods</h4>A cross-sectional self-administered anonymous q ...[more]

PMID: 23167528

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Project description:Hochuekkito (HET), Juzentaihoto (JTT), and Ninjin'yoeito (NYT) have been used as Hozai, a group of traditional Japanese herbal medicines, to treat physically and mentally weak cancer patients. Their compositions are quite different, and Japanese pharmaceutical companies have been using different types or quantities of herbs for formulations with the same name. Here, we compared the immunological differences between HET, JTT, and NYT with respect to the induced T cell subsets and cytokines. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from healthy volunteers and treated with 0 (control), 25, 50, 100, 200, or 400 μg/mL HET, JTT, or NYT (manufactured by Tsumura [TJ], Kracie [KR], and Kotaro [KO]). PBMC proliferation, CD4+ T cell, CD8+ T cell, and regulatory T cell (Treg) proportions and interleukin (IL) concentrations (IL-6, IL-10, IL-17A, interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β) secreted by PBMCs were measured using Cell Counting Kit-8 or flow cytometry bead analysis. PBMC proliferation and CD4+ T cell percentages were similar in the HET, JTT, NYT, and control groups; however, the percentage of CD8+ T cells tended to increase after treatments. Tregs were suppressed by HET, JTT, and NYT, and TJ-JTT significantly decreased Treg numbers (compared with control). The concentrations of all cytokines except TGF-β were increased in a concentration-dependent manner (p < 0.05); particularly, KR-HET induced IL-6 secretion (compared with the control, TJ-HET, and KO-HET; 37-, 7-, and 17-fold, respectively; p < 0.05). The TGF-β concentration was decreased in a concentration-dependent manner by HET, JTT, and NYT (compared with the control). These results suggest that, compared with TJ-HET and KO-HET, KR-HET should be administered with caution. Although HET, JTT, and NYT belong to the same Hozai group and have the same names among companies, their differing effects on immune activity must be considered and they must be administered with caution.

Dataset Information

The clinical use of Kampo medicines (traditional Japanese herbal treatments) for controlling cancer patients' symptoms in Japan: a national cross-sectional survey.

Publications

The clinical use of Kampo medicines (traditional Japanese herbal treatments) for controlling cancer patients' symptoms in Japan: a national cross-sectional survey.

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