[Effect of supporting the healthy energy and strengthening Pi principle of TCM combined with chemotherapy in treating children with solid tumors].

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical validity in improving quality of life (QOL) of patients and alleviating adverse reaction of chemotherapy in treating children with solid tumors by Chinese herbal medicine for supporting healthy energy and strengthening Pi. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted in 60 children with solid tumor in stage II-IV, who were assigned to two groups, 30 in each group. All children received chemotherapy and those in the observed group were given Chinese herbs according to syndrome differentiation additionally. The conditions of the two groups were compared after 6-month treatment. RESULTS: Compared with before treatment, the white blood cells (WBC), hemoglobin (Hb), and platelet (PLT) all increased in the observed group after treatment (P < 0.01, P < 0.01, P < 0.05), while in the control group, the WBC and Hb have no significant difference (P > 0.05) and PLT decreased (P < 0.05) after treatment. Comparison between the two groups, the clinical symptom score in the observed group has significant difference after treatment (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Chinese herbal medicine for supporting healthy energy, strengthening Pi and supplementing qi-blood is good for alleviating the adverse reaction and improving patients' peripheral blood picture in children with solid tumor undergoing chemotherapy.