Abstract
Abstract BACKGROUND IDH wildtype Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor with dismal prognosis. Current efforts focus on integration of supportive therapies like psychooncology and palliative care in routine care. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and western naturopathy are integrative modalities that have been studied recently for managing various symptoms and diseases. Aim of this study was to assess effects of TCM and western naturopathy on symptom burden relief and survival of glioblastoma patients. METHODS In this retrospective study we performed a matched pair analysis comparing 21 GBM patients with a combined treatment comprising standard radio chemotherapy plus TCM and western naturopathy (TCM group) with matched control patients receiving standard radiochemotherapy alone (control group). Matching was done according to age, gender, IDH status, MGMT methylation status and KPS. Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism 9. RESULTS The patient in the TCM group felt better regarding their general condition and had less symptom burden. Moreover, progression free survival (PFS) was significantly longer in the TCM group (17.4 +/- 12.2 months) compared to the control group (12.6 +/- 6.9 months; p < 0.01). Overall survival increased from 20.5 +/- 8.5 (control group) to 25.0 +/- 14.5 months (TCM group, n.s.). CONCLUSION Glioblastoma patients seem to benefit significantly from additional integrative medicine including TCM and western naturopathy , both, in terms of symptom relieve and regarding progression free survival. However, a prospective randomized trial with a larger patient cohort would be necessary in order to confirm this effect.
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