Roles of Kampo medicine in chemotherapy‐related adverse events

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundIn recent years, multidisciplinary treatment of cancer has greatly improved the results of cancer treatment. In particular, the development of molecular targeted drugs and cancer immunotherapy drugs has been carried out for many carcinomas, and this has had an important role in improving outcomes. At the same time, there have been important advances in supportive care‐related drugs, with a focus on antiemesis or neutropenia. Here, we overview the clinical roles and potential of the use and utilization of Kampo medicine.ProblemsThe side effects of cancer treatments include various symptoms, such as fatigue, numbness, and loss of appetite that are often difficult for modern medicine to deal with. When experienced, these side effects can make it difficult to continue chemotherapy because of malnutrition, infections, psychological burdens, and so on. In such cases, effective supportive care is very important as it is impossible to derive an anticancer effect unless chemotherapy can be continued.SolutionsLately, the application of traditional Japanese medicine, ‘Kampo’, to cancer supportive care has attracted attention to improve the results of cancer treatment and the quality of life (QOL) of patients. Especially, the Kampo formulae, called ‘Ho‐zai’, which demonstrate supplementing potencies, have been reported to improve nutritional and immune status. In addition, their effects on both mind and body are recognized.ConclusionsThe application of Kampo therapy in cancer supportive care is considered to be indispensable not only for improving treatment outcomes, but also for improving the quality of cancer treatments and the QOL of cancer patients in the latest treatment of cancer.