Clinical effect of ginger- partitioned moxibustion combined with transarterial chemoembolization in treatment of primary liver cancer with stagnation of liver qi and spleen deficiency

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of ginger- partitioned moxibustion at Zusanli and Yongquan points combined with transarterial chemoembolization( TACE) in the treatment of primary liver cancer. Methods A total of 60 patients initially diagnosed with primary liver cancer with stagnation of liver qi and spleen deficiency who were hospitalized in The Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from December 2013 to December 2014 were enrolled and randomly divided into moxibustion group and control group,with 30 patients in each group. The patients in both groups were given TACE and symptomatic / supportive treatment after TACE,including conventional liver- protecting,stomach- protecting,pain- relieving,and antiemetic treatment. The patients in the moxibustion group were given moxibustion since day 1 before TACE. Moxibustion was performed at bilateral Yongquan and Zusanli points once a day( 30 minutes each time) for 8 consecutive days. The patients' quality of life was recorded at 1 day before and 7 days after surgery,and the postoperative adverse events,traditional Chinese medicine( TCM) syndrome score,and EORTC QLQ- C30 results were compared between the two groups.The t- test was used for comparison of continuous data between groups,the chi- square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups,and the Mann- Whitney U test was used for comparison of ranked data between groups. Results The moxibustion group had a significantly lower proportion of patients who experienced nausea and vomiting after surgery than the control group( Z = 9. 692,P =0. 046). Among the patients in the moxibustion group,7 achieved significant improvements in TCM syndrome and 16 achieved partial improvements in TCM syndrome,resulting in an overall response rate of 77%; among the patients in the control group,5 achieved significant improvements and 9 achieved partial improvements,resulting in an overall response rate of 47%; there was a significant difference in overall response rate between the two groups( χ~2= 7. 198,P = 0. 027). As for the quality of life,the moxibustion group had significantly better improvements in fatigue,anorexia,nausea / vomiting,and general health compared with the control group( t = 2. 722,2. 530,2. 538,and3. 144,P = 0. 011,0. 017,0. 017,and 0. 004). Conclusion Ginger- partitioned moxibustion at bilateral Zusanli and Yongquan points combined with TACE for the treatment of primary liver cancer can alleviate the adverse effects after TACE and improve patients' TCM syndrome and quality of life. This combined therapy reflects the features and advantages of “local and systemic”combined- modality therapy for primary liver cancer.