Case Report on the Five-year Survival and Complete Response of a Patient with Pancreatic Cancer Treated with Integrative Medicine

Abstract

Objectives: This is a five-year survival and complete response (CR) report on pancreatic cancer treated with western medicine and Korean traditional medicine.Method: A 59-year-old woman diagnosed with pancreatic cancer visited ⃝⃝ Korean traditional medicine hospital after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy. She was treated with Korean traditional medicine, including acupuncture, abdominal moxibustion, wild ginseng pharmacopuncture, and herbal medicine, which was based on integrated medicine therapy (IMT), from March 2018 to September 2022. The tumor size was measured by scanning with computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging, and positron-emission tomography/CT. Adverse events were evaluated using laboratory conclusion and National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0.Result: During four years and three months of treatment, IMT maintained safety. The patient finally reached five-year survival without any recurrence or complication (CR) on October 26, 2022.Conclusion: We suggest that an integrative approach including Korean traditional medicine can be a meaningful treatment option for pancreatic cancer. Further studies should be performed to establish the proper treatment protocol of integrative medicine for pancreatic cancer.