Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Treated with Herbal Pharmacopuncture during FOLFIRI Chemotherapy: A Case Report

Abstract

According to the 2008 World Cancer Report by the World Health Organization (WHO), colorectal cancer is one of the leading cancers worldwide. This case study evaluates the effectiveness of Korean medicine treatment, including herbal pharmacopuncture (HP), as a complementary treatment during FOLFIRI chemotherapy. A 73-year-old male who was diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in September 2012 was treated concurrently with HP and FOLFIRI chemotherapy for 4 months. The effectiveness of the combined therapy was evaluated by CT. Furthermore, quality of life was assessed using a visual analogue scale. The tumor mass sizes of lung and lymph node metastases decreased, and the side effects caused by chemotherapy were mitigated. Based on these results, this case report suggests that Korean medicine treatment including HP therapy could be a complementary therapy for mCRC.

Keywords

• FOLFIRI chemotherapy
• Herbal pharmacopuncture
• Korean medicine
• Metastatic colorectal cancer