OBJECTIVE

2

To explore the clinical efficacy and safety of Ruyi jinhuang powder for external application combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors （ICIs） in the treatment of patients with advanced liver cancer complicated with dampness and heat syndrome of liver and gallbladder.

METHODS

2

All patients with advanced liver cancer complicated with dampness and heat syndrome of liver and gallbladder were admitted to our hospital from January 2018 to June 2022 and assigned into observation group and control group according to random number table method. Patients in the control group （

n

＝56） were treated with ICIs （Navulizumab injection/Sintilimab injection/Camrelizumab for injection） 200 mg， ivgtt， 21 days as a treatment cycle. Patients in the observation group （

n

＝56） were additionally treated with Ruyi jinhuang powder for external application， once a day， on the basis of control group. The therapeutic effects of 2 groups were compared after a treatment cycle. The levels of interleukin-6 （IL-6）， matrix metalloproteinase-9 （MMP-9）， cyclooxygenase-2 （COX-2）， prostaglandin E2 （PGE2）， carbohydrate antigen 199 （CA199）， alpha-fetoprotein （AFP） and vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） in serum were compared between 2 groups before and after treatment. Karnofsky functional status （KPS） score， digital rating scale （NRS） score， total symptom score of traditional Chinese medicine， and the occurrence of adverse reactions were recorded for both groups of patients.

RESULTS

2

After treatment， the levels of IL-6， MMP-9， COX-2， PGE2， CA199， AFP， VEGF， NRS score and total symptom score of traditional Chinese medicine in observation group were significantly lower than control group （

P

＜0.05）， KPS score was significantly higher than the control group （

P

＜0.05）. The total effective rate and remission rate of the observation group were 64.29% and 80.36%， those of control group were 60.71% and 73.21%. There was no statistical significance between two groups （

P

＞0.05）. The adverse drug reactions of both groups were mainly nausea and vomiting， liver function injury， fever and so on； the incidence of adverse reaction in observation group was significantly lower than that of control group （

P

＜0.05）.

CONCLUSIONS

2

In patients with advanced liver cancer complicated with dampness and heat syndrome of liver and gallbladder， the combination of Ruyi jinhuang powder for external application and ICIs can help inhibit the secretion of pain mediators， regulate vascular endothelial function， reduce the inflammatory response， promote the recovery of cardiopulmonary function， improve clinical efficacy and has good safety.