Efficacy of Shuanghe Jiyu Decoction in 126 Patients with Bone Marrow Suppression.

Bone marrow suppression is a common complication of chemotherapy. In order to observe the effects of Shuanghe Jiyu decoction on peripheral white blood cells (WBC), hemoglobin (Hb), and platelet (PLT) in patients with bone marrow suppression, a total of 126 patients with bone marrow suppression were given at least three consecutive cycles of chemotherapy. The results show that among 126 patients with bone marrow suppression, 16 achieved marked efficacy and 100 achieved moderate efficacy. The overall effective rate is 92.06%. Moreover, the symptoms of bone marrow suppression are mitigated. No adverse events are reported during the treatment.

1. Introduction

One of the most common adverse reactions of chemotherapy is bone marrow suppression. Nearly all chemotherapeutic drugs kill indiscriminately the tumor cells, and highly proliferative hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and progenitor cells residing in the bone marrow. Chemotherapy usually causes a noticeable reduction in the blood components, including WBC, Hb, and PLT, which further leads to bone marrow suppression [1].

Chemotherapy may be delayed or terminated due to bone marrow suppression. Besides, the risks of infection, anemia, and hemorrhage may also increase due to bone marrow suppression [2]. China has witnessed a continuous increase in the incidence of cancers. According to 2020 statistics, China has 3.804 million newly diagnosed cancer patients this year, and cancer-related deaths reached 2.296 million. That is to say, an average of seven people are diagnosed with cancer in China per minute. Chemotherapy remains the most important and irreplaceable treatment for cancers. But whether a clinical treatment regimen can be delivered as scheduled depends on the effective prevention and control of bone marrow suppression [3]. Data show that about 90% of cancer patients need chemotherapy and the incidence of bone marrow suppression reaches up to 80%–90% in patients receiving chemotherapy. Bone marrow suppression has become one of the greatest obstacles in the administration of chemotherapy for cancers as it can cause a delay or discontinuation of chemotherapy. Cancer management may fail due to delayed or interrupted chemotherapy.

Among the available first-line treatments for bone marrow suppression, interleukin, erythropoietin, and colony-stimulating factors have demonstrated positive effects. However, many long-term clinical trials have shown that these treatments are less satisfactory when used as long-term adjuvant therapy for chemotherapy [4]. Some scholars believe that chemotherapy adversely affects the differentiating and proliferative capacities of HSCs and progenitor cells to cause bone marrow suppression. However, excessive use of erythropoietin and colony-stimulating factors further aggravates the burden on HSCs, resulting in more severe damage to hematopoietic function of the bone marrow. Meanwhile, patients with bone marrow suppression may suffer from secondary adverse events, such as debilitation, poor appetite, and dizziness, which impairs the patients' life quality [5]. Given the abovementioned facts, looking for drugs to improve bone marrow suppression and to alleviate the damage to the hematopoietic function of the bone marrow has become a research hotspot.

Many scholars of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and clinicians classify bone marrow suppression as a “syndrome of blood deficiency” or “syndrome of deficiency of both qi and blood.” Most TCM practitioners prefer the treatment for benefiting qi and nourishing blood for bone marrow suppression [6]. This TCM treatment can achieve specific effects, but it works slowly and cannot adequately counteract the high killing power of chemotherapy for bone marrow cells. Such treatment needs to be administered over a long period of time and can hardly restore the blood cell counts to normal. In recent years, there have been few reports on the alleviation of bone marrow suppression by TCM to meet the needs of tumor patients receiving continuous chemotherapy. Based on our clinical experience in treating bone marrow suppression, we add several new ingredients to the Shuanghe decoction described in Yizongjinjian, a TCM classic [7]. These new ingredients are compatible with those for benefiting qi, nourishing blood, and replenishing essence. The ingredients for cooling blood and hemostasis, such as Cirsium japonicum, Herba Cirsii, Sanguisorba officinalis, and Oriental arborvitae leaves, are also added to this decoction. Based on the new ingredients added, the decoction is named “Shuanghe Jiyu decoction”.

In this paper, a certain therapeutic effect is achieved for the treatment of bone marrow suppression in 126 patients using this decoction, which could restore normal blood cell counts within a short period of time. The planned chemotherapy is continued by using the decoction, with stable effectiveness. The efficacy of the Shuanghe Jiyu decoction is investigated in the present study.

2. Related Work

For the 126 patients with bone marrow suppression treated by the Shuanghe Jiyu decoction, the following were found: first, the decoction had a good therapeutic effect on bone marrow suppression and achieved a high overall effective rate. The symptoms of bone marrow suppression were generally improved noticeably, and blood cell counts in all patients were increased. Second, the decoction prescribed during the chemotherapy interval could successfully manage bone marrow suppression and increase the continuity of chemotherapy. The decoction reduced the delay in chemotherapy caused by bone marrow suppression. Third, the Shuanghe Jiyu decoction can effectively improve the symptoms of bone marrow suppression, including debilitating fatigue, pale complexion, palpitation, and shortness of breath. The decoction thus improved the life quality of patients with bone marrow suppression. Finally, no adverse events were reported during the treatment, indicating good tolerance and safety of the decoction for the treatment of bone marrow suppression.

Bone marrow suppression was a common complication of chemotherapy. Up to 80%–90% of patients receiving chemotherapy develop bone marrow suppression, which adversely affects chemotherapy. Bone marrow suppression can also aggravate the risk of infection, anemia, and bleeding, which could cause a delay in cancer treatment. Interleukin, erythropoietin, and colony-stimulating factors have been used to manage bone marrow suppression caused by chemotherapy. However, such treatments were generally ineffective as long-term adjuvant treatments during chemotherapy. Patients receiving these treatments may suffer from fatigue, pain, and fever, and showed poor tolerance. Although conventional treatments for benefiting qi and blood have been proven to raise blood cell counts and improve bone marrow suppression, they took effect slowly, which could hardly improve the blood cell counts within a short period of time. Besides, prolonged administration of such treatments was usually required, which could hardly meet clinical needs.

It was issued that the efficacy evaluation criteria based on the 2015 Technical Guiding Principles for the Clinical Research of New Traditional Chinese Medicines for Cancer Treatment and the evaluation criteria for symptom improvement based on the 2002 Guiding Principles for the Clinical Research of New Traditional Chinese Medicines (trial) [8]. 126 patients with bone marrow suppression who took Shuanghe Jiyu decoction were assessed by these two criteria. The decoction raised the peripheral WBC count, Hb level, and PLT count within only two weeks in nearly all patients, and the outcome was satisfactory. Moreover, a stable, enduring efficacy against bone marrow suppression was also observed during the three consecutive cycles of chemotherapy. The decoction also improved the scores of symptoms, indicating it could alleviate the symptoms associated with bone marrow suppression and improved the patients' life quality. No adverse events were reported during the treatment with Shuanghe Jiyu decoction, indicating good tolerance and safety of the decoction.

Shuanghe Jiyu decoction was based on the Shuanghe decoction described in Yizongjinjian. Ingredients for blood replenishing and essence nourishing were added to the formula for qi and blood reinforcement. Other additional ingredients include Cirsium japonicum, Herba Cirsii, and Sanguisorba officinalis for blood-cooling and hemostatic effect. Shuanghe decoction serving as the base was a combination of the Astragalus middle-strengthening decoction and the four-substance decoction. The former was intended for qi nourishing by promoting qi in the spleen and stomach in the middle energizer; the latter was intended for blood nourishing. Thus, Shuanghe decoction benefits both qi and blood. In the Shuanghe Jiyu decoction, Polygonum Multiflorum Radix Preparata can nourish the essence and blood; the stems of Spatholobus suberectus can nourish and activate the blood; Lycium barbarum can nourish the liver and kidney, essence, and tonify blood. Combination of the two decoctions with a small amount of safflower as the corrigent can prevent blood stagnation while enriching the blood. Deer horn glue and deer placenta were emotional articles of blood and flesh. The addition of these two ingredients further enhances the effect of tonifying the kidney and supporting the yang on the basis of replenishing essence and nourishing blood. These two ingredients further promote the production of essence and blood. Cirsium japonicum, Herba Cirsii, Sanguisorba officinalis, and Oriental arborvitae leaves directly act on the blood components and show blood-cooling and hemostatic effects while counteracting the warmth and dryness of tonic herbs in the formula. According to modern medical research, these ingredients could effectively raise the WBC and PLT counts. It has been shown that chemotherapeutic drugs damage the nuclei of hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow and interfere with mitosis due to cytotoxicity. Meanwhile, they induce apoptosis and ageing of hematopoietic cells and progenitor cells in the bone marrow, causing damage to the bone marrow matrix and organic injury to environments inside and outside the hematopoietic niches. The efficacy of Shuanghe Jiyu decoction against bone marrow suppression may be attributed to its role in improving the activity of cyclin and cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) in HSCs. The decoction reinforces the energy and substance metabolism of HSCs in the bone marrow, thereby improving proliferation and differentiation of HSCs and progenitor cells and facilitating hematopoietic function. Besides, the Shuanghe Jiyu decoction may also improve the hematopoietic niches, the microenvironment where the HSCs and progenitor cells reside and proliferate. Another explanation may be that Shuanghe Jiyu decoction upregulates the expressions of some colony-stimulating factors and erythropoietin, which further enhances proliferation and differentiation of HSCs and progenitor cells in the bone marrow. Some scholars have pointed out that bone marrow suppression was related to senescence of HSCs induced by chemotherapy. It was hard to correct the pathological problem of this kind of bone marrow suppression [9, 10]. In addition, the autophagy level of HSCs was inversely correlated with the degree of senescence [11]. Another study suggested that a sustained high level of autophagy of HSCs was usually correlated with adequacy of the hematopoietic potential and the ability to resist senescence. However, chemotherapy and the use of colony-stimulating factors could lead to excessive mobilization of HSCs and decreased hematopoietic function as well as damage-induced senescence of HSCs. Shuanghe Jiyu decoction could raise counts of a variety of blood cells within a short time in patients with bone marrow suppression, and it was also stable as an adjuvant therapy during prolonged cycles of chemotherapy. Does the abovementioned phenomenon imply that Shuanghe Jiyu decoction can boost autophagy of HSCs, reduce senescence of HSCs, and increase the hematopoietic function of HSCs. The abovementioned hypotheses should be carefully examined based on scientific evidence from experiments.

Despite the favorable clinical efficacy of Shuanghe Jiyu decoction, our study still had some limitations. First, no control group was set up for efficacy comparison. We can hardly assess the differences between Shuanghe Jiyu decoction and other treatments for bone marrow suppression in efficacy. All patients included were once admitted through the outpatient department. They tended to have worse treatment compliance than inpatients. Second, an observation bias seemed inevitable. The test drug was a Chinese herbal compound prescription, and we only observed an improvement in blood cells during treatment. However, there was no convincing evidence to explain the biological mechanism of the findings.

3. Patient Information and Research Methods

3.1. Patient Information and Diagnostic Criteria

A total of 126 patients (66 males and 60 females) admitted by the outpatient department of our hospital due to bone marrow suppression from March 2019 to November 2021 are enrolled in the study. They are aged 35–66 years. Bone marrow suppression to varying degrees is induced by standard chemotherapy regimens, including EP, AC-T, TC, and GP. There are 33, 42, 28, and 23 patients with grade I, II, III, and IV bone marrow suppression, respectively [12]. Bone marrow suppression is diagnosed and graded according to the WHO diagnostic criteria and grading system for bone marrow suppression, as shown in Table 1.

Table 1

WHO diagnostic criteria and grading system for bone marrow suppression.

	WBC	Hb	PLT
Grade 0	≥4.0 × 109/L	≥110 g/L	≥100 × 109/L
Grade I	(3.0–3.9) × 109/L	95–100 g/L	(75–99) × 109/L
Grade II	(2.0–2.9) × 109/L	80–94 g/L	(50–74) × 109/L
Grade III	(1.0–1.9) × 109/L	65–79 g/L	(25–49) × 109/L
Grade IV	<1.0 × 109/L	<65 g/L	<25 × 109/L

3.2. Clinical Treatment

3.2.1. Detection Method

The patients received a routine blood test at seven days after each cycle of chemotherapy. Those diagnosed with bone marrow suppression are graded and orally took Shuanghe Jiyu decoction twice daily. The decoction is prepared using the following ingredients: Astragalus membranaceus 30 g, cassia twig 6 g, Paeonia lactiflora 12 g, prepared licorice root 10 g, jujubes 6 g, Angelica sinensis 12 g, processed Rehmannia glutinosa 15 g, Ligusticum striatum 6 g, Polygonum Multiflorum Radix Preparata 12 g, stems of Spatholobus suberectus 15 g, Lycium barbarum 12 g, safflower 3 g, Cirsium japonicum 12 g, Herba Cirsii 12 g, raw Sanguisorba officinalis 15 g, Oriental arborvitae leaves 12 g, deer horn glue 6 g (molten and blended), and deer placenta 6 g (pulverized and mixed with water). Before decoction, each dose is soaked in about 2.5 L of cold water for 30 min. The herbal liquor is first boiled with high heat and then with gentle heat for about 45 min until the fire is turned off. Next, 200 ml of the boiled herbal liquor are collected. After that, another 2.5 L of water are added to the remaining liquor, and the abovementioned process is repeated once. The two portions of herbal liquor are combined and equally divided into two plastic bags, which are distributed as morning and evening doses. Each treatment cycle lasted for two weeks. The patients received another routine blood test at the end of the treatment cycle. The chemotherapy regimen is initiated as per the protocol, depending on the blood test results. Each patient received at least three cycles of chemotherapy with a 21-day interval, during which the Shuanghe Jiyu decoction is given [13, 14].

3.2.2. Efficacy Evaluation Criteria

The efficacy evaluation criteria are issued according to the 2015 Technical Guiding Principles for the Clinical Research of New Traditional Chinese Medicines for Cancer Treatment.

(1) Marked Efficacy. The blood cell counts are restored to normal after avoiding pathogenic factors and receiving one cycle of treatment. The blood cell counts in patients with grade III and IV bone marrow suppression are restored to normal or improved by ≥ 200% after treatment, and the symptoms and signs of bone marrow suppression may also be improved.

(2) Moderate Efficacy. The blood cell counts of patients with grade I and II bone marrow suppression are restored to normal after avoiding pathogenic factors and receiving one cycle of treatment. The blood cell counts in patients with grade III and IV bone marrow suppression are improved by ≥ 100% after treatment, and the symptoms and signs of bone marrow suppression may also be improved.

(3) Ineffective. The blood cell counts did not meet the standard for marked or moderate efficacy, or the blood cell counts are not significantly improved.

3.2.3. Evaluation Criteria for Symptom Improvement

The efficacy evaluation criteria are issued according to the 2002 Technical Guiding Principles for the Clinical Research of New Traditional Chinese Medicines for Cancer Treatment. The symptoms associated with bone marrow suppression are scored by severity: 0 point means no symptoms, 1 means mild symptoms, 2 means moderate symptoms, and 3 means severe symptoms. Before treatment, the symptoms related to bone marrow suppression are evaluated, and the total scores of symptoms are calculated. The symptoms are reevaluated, and the total scores of symptoms are recalculated after treatment. The degree of symptom improvement is determined by analyzing the change of symptom scores before and after treatment with Shuanghe Jiyu decoction.

4. The Case Analysis and Comparison

4.1. Observation Indicators

The number of patients achieving marked and moderate efficacy and those failing to the treatment are estimated and compared among patients with varying degrees of bone marrow suppression. The marked efficacy rate, moderate efficacy rate, and ineffective rate are estimated. Changes in peripheral WBC count, Hb level, and PLT count before and after three cycles of chemotherapy are analyzed in 126 patients with bone marrow suppression. The changes in the scores of ten symptoms associated with bone marrow suppression are analyzed before and after treatment: debilitating fatigue, palpitation, shortness of breath, poor appetite, dizziness and tinnitus, vertigo, pale complexion, bleeding, and purpura. The symptom improvement is assessed in 126 patients with bone marrow suppression based on the changes in symptom scores.

4.2. Statistical Analysis

All statistical analyses are conducted using the SPSS17.0 software. The measurement data are expressed as ‾x ± s. Those obeying a normal distribution with equal variances are compared within the groups using the paired t-test and across the groups using the independent t-test. Otherwise, the measurement data are compared within the groups using the paired-samples rank-sum test and using the two-independent-samples rank-sum test across the groups. P < 0.05 indicated a significant difference. P < 0.01 indicated an extremely significant difference.

4.3. Therapeutic Outcomes

4.3.1. Outcomes of Patients with Varying Degrees of Bone Marrow Suppression

Among 126 patients with bone marrow suppression, 16 achieved marked efficacy and 100 achieved moderate efficacy. However, ten patients failed to the treatment. The overall effective rate is 92.06%. Among 33 patients with grade I bone marrow suppression before treatment, the treatment is effective in all patients, and none failed to the treatment, with an overall effective rate of 100%. Among 42 patients with grade II bone marrow suppression before treatment, 40 patients achieved marked or moderate efficacy, and none failed to the treatment, with an overall effective rate of 95.24%. Among 28 patients with grade III bone marrow suppression before treatment, 9 achieved marked efficacy, 16 achieved moderate efficacy, and 3 failed to the treatment, with an overall effective rate of 89.29%. Among 23 patients with grade IV bone marrow suppression, 7 achieved marked efficacy, 11 achieved moderate efficacy, and 5 failed to the treatment, with an overall effective rate of 78.26% s. In Table 2, any level of efficacy in patients with grade I and II bone marrow suppression is simply considered effective without further classification.

Table 2

Efficacy in patients with varying degrees of bone marrow suppression (unit: case).

	Total	Marked efficacy	Moderate efficacy	Ineffective	Overall effective rate (%)
Grade I	33	—	33	0	100
Grade II	42	—	40	2	95.24
Grade III	28	9	16	3	89.29
Grade IV	23	7	11	5	78.26
Total	126	16	100	10	92.06

4.3.2. Changes in WBC Count, Hb Level, and PLT Level before and after Each Cycle of Chemotherapy

After treatment with the Shuanghe Jiyu decoction, the WBC count, Hb level, and PLT count in all 126 patients with varying degrees of bone marrow suppression significantly improved. The details are listed in Table 3. In Table 3, P is given small, then 0.05 of that is compared to pretreatment.

Table 3

Comparison of WBC count, Hb level, and PLT count in patients with bone marrow suppression at the end of each cycle of chemotherapy (‾x ± s).

		WBC/(109/L)	Hb/(g/L)	PLT/(109/L)
First cycle of chemotherapy	Before treatment	2.28 ± 1.16	108.27 ± 30.96	120.22 ± 86.30
	After treatment	4.73 ± 2.21∗	135.42 ± 22.28∗	173.37 ± 86.26∗
Second cycle of chemotherapy	Before treatment	2.26 ± 1.21	102.41 ± 26.32	103.33 ± 67.67
	After treatment	5.31 ± 2.28∗	141.07 ± 21.31∗	174.13 ± 82.83∗
Third cycle of chemotherapy	Before treatment	2.33 ± 1.23	98.59 ± 23.02	89.55 ± 44.50
	After treatment	5.34 ± 2.09∗	136.08 ± 21.49∗	147.13 ± 61.18∗

4.3.3. Changes in the Scores of TCM Symptoms

After treatment with the Shuanghe Jiyu decoction, the scores of some symptoms in all 126 patients with varying degrees of bone marrow suppression significantly improved. The details are listed in Table 4.

Table 4

Changes in the scores of main symptoms in bone marrow suppression patients before and after treatment (‾x ± s).

Symptom	Before treatment	After treatment	P-value
Debilitating fatigue	2.02 ± 0.60	0.69 ± 0.18	P < 0.01
Palpitation	1.83 ± 0.64	0.84 ± 0.38	P < 0.01
Shortness of breath	1.72 ± 0.52	0.76 ± 0.41	P < 0.01
Poor appetite	1.63 ± 0.48	0.61 ± 0.43	P < 0.01
Pale complexion	2.51 ± 0.51	1.43 ± 0.36	P < 0.01
Dizziness and tinnitus	1.62 ± 0.33	1.12 ± 0.45	P < 0.05
Vertigo	1.59 ± 0.41	0.98 ± 0.47	P < 0.05
Bleeding	1.31 ± 0.24	0.76 ± 0.32	P < 0.05
Purpura	1.25 ± 0.38	0.65 ± 0.46	P < 0.05

4.3.4. Adverse Events

None of the patients showed discomfort or abnormal renal and liver function during the treatment. Some reported an improvement in fatigue and palpitation induced by chemotherapy, indicating good clinical tolerance and safety.

5. Conclusions

Shuanghe Jiyu decoction shows a good effect on bone marrow suppression secondary to chemotherapy. The decoction alleviates the delay consequence in chemotherapy caused by bone marrow suppression, thus guaranteeing the continuity of chemotherapy. The decoction noticeably has alleviated the symptoms of bone marrow suppression and improved the patients' life quality. No adverse events are reported during the treatment, indicating the good tolerance and safety of the decoction for the treatment of bone marrow suppression. Although the Shuanghe Jiyu decoction achieved promising efficacy in 126 patients with bone marrow suppression, it is necessary to further investigate the mechanism underlying its efficacy, which may enhance the understanding of bone marrow suppression and reach a breakthrough in the clinical treatment of tumors.