Viewing Study NCT06394128



Ignite Creation Date: 2024-05-06 @ 8:28 PM
Last Modification Date: 2024-10-26 @ 3:28 PM
Study NCT ID: NCT06394128
Status: RECRUITING
Last Update Posted: 2024-05-01
First Post: 2024-04-05

Brief Title: Cangpo Liujun Prescription on Cancer-related Fatigue in Advanced Colorectal Cancer With Spleen Deficiency and Dampness Excess
Sponsor: First Peoples Hospital of Hangzhou
Organization: First Peoples Hospital of Hangzhou

Study Overview

Official Title: Study on the Curative Effect of Cangpo Liujun Prescription on Cancer-related Fatigue in Patients With Advanced Colorectal Cancer Undergoing Second-line Chemotherapy With Spleen Deficiency and Dampness Excess and Analysis of Intestinal Flora
Status: RECRUITING
Status Verified Date: 2024-04
Last Known Status: None
Delayed Posting: No
If Stopped, Why?: Not Stopped
Has Expanded Access: False
If Expanded Access, NCT#: N/A
Has Expanded Access, NCT# Status: N/A
Acronym: None
Brief Summary: The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if Cangpo Liujun Prescription works to treat cancer-related fatigue in patients with advanced colorectal cancer undergoing second-line chemotherapy with spleen deficiency and dampness excess It will also learn about the safety of Cangpo Liujun Prescription The main questions it aims to answer are

Does Cangpo Liujun Prescription improve the fatigue symptoms for participants How about the relationship between taking Cangpo Liujun Prescription and distribution of intestinal flora

Researchers will compare Cangpo Liujun Prescription to a placebo a look-alike substance that contains no drug to see if Cangpo Liujun decoction works to treat cancer-related fatigue in patients with advanced colorectal cancer undergoing second-line chemotherapy with spleen deficiency and dampness excess

Participants will

Take Cangpo Liujun Prescription or a placebo every day for 3 months Visit the clinic once every 2 weeks for checkups and tests Keep a diary of their symptoms Take blood samples to detect immune function and inflammatory factors Collected Feces for gut microbiota analysis
Detailed Description: 1 Patients with advanced colorectal cancer undergoing chemotherapy constitute a significant demographic affected by cancer-related fatigue CRF

CRF as delineated by NCCN guidelines is described as enduring subjective physical emotional andor cognitive weariness or fatigue related to cancer or its treatment significantly interfering with daily life and function It stands as one of the most common and severe accompanying symptoms among cancer patients with durations extending up to five years for a quarter to a third of patients The etiology of CRF is complex with factors including tumor-related factors treatment-related factors surgery radiotherapy chemotherapy immunotherapy etc comorbidities anemia thyroid dysfunction etc and psychosocial factors anxiety depression etc CRF exerts various adverse effects on patients significantly diminishing their quality of life including changes in daily habits decreased vitality a sense of loss of control social isolation and exacerbation of other accompanying symptoms Moreover CRF may reduce patients completion rates of anti-tumor treatment consequently diminishing their survival periods highlighting its substantial detrimental impact Studies indicate that approximately 33 of colorectal cancer patients experience CRF after chemotherapy with the incidence rising to two-thirds in advanced colorectal cancer patients likely associated with multiple chemotherapy treatments and low nutritional status Chemotherapy can lead to immunosuppression tissue cell damage and release of inflammatory cytokines Among these cytokines play a crucial role in CRF formation inducing central fatigue through mechanisms such as anemia cachexia and disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis Additionally regimens such as oxaliplatin and its combinations FOLFOX FOLFIRI FOLFOXIRI used in colorectal cancer treatment can cause mitochondrial and energy homeostasis dysregulation leading to skeletal muscle fatigue with cumulative toxicity Reduced energy intake due to chemotherapy often results in prolonged low nutritional status in colorectal cancer patients Decreased synthesis of proteinaceous substances and accumulation of certain metabolites alter ATP metabolism within muscle cells thereby precipitating peripheral fatigue
2 The principal pathogenesis of cancer-related fatigue CRF in patients undergoing second-line treatment for colorectal cancer is spleen deficiency and dampness accumulation

Although ancient Chinese medical texts do not directly mention colorectal cancer or tumors traditional Chinese medicine has a deep-rooted understanding of similar symptoms associated with clinical manifestations such as intestinal tumors and accumulations found in the Inner Canon The Surgical Orthodoxies Doctrine of Internal Infections elucidates that spleen deficiency leads to the accumulation of damp toxins which over time accumulate heat This accumulation of damp-heat toxins flows into the intestines resulting in poor local circulation of qi and blood and the coagulation of damp toxins into cancerous masses Prolonged retention of tumors in the intestines depletes qi and injures body fluids exacerbated by chemotherapy and targeted therapies giving rise to a clinical presentation akin to traditional Chinese medicines concept of deficiency fatigue This includes a series of symptoms such as visceral function decline overall debilitation weakness lethargy emaciation and increased inclination toward sleep aligning closely with the scope of CRF The term deficiency fatigue was first documented by Zhang Zhongjing in Synopsis of the Golden Chamber Blood Stasis Deficiency Fatigue Disease Pulse Syndrome and Treatment illustrating that spleen deficiency is the primary pathogenesis of deficiency fatigue and CRF According to traditional Chinese medicine CRF is predominantly characterized by deficiency patterns often compounded with mixed patterns of deficiency and excess with the affected organs primarily involving the spleen lungs liver and kidneys accompanied by pathological factors such as qi stagnation and damp turbidity Second-line treatment patients with advanced colorectal cancer following first-line chemotherapy or combined targeted therapy often present with spleen and stomach deficiency leading to inefficient transformation and transportation processes The spleen has an inclination toward dryness while detesting dampness yet internal damp evils originate and propagate due to the humid climate of the southern region inducing internal dampness that exacerbates the deficiency of the spleen resulting in a state of spleen deficiency and dampness accumulation within the body This dampness characterized by heaviness and turbidity manifests as a sensation of head heaviness overall lethargy and heaviness and laziness in the limbs Dampness being a yin evil easily obstructs the flow of qi and compromises yang qi exacerbating spleen deficiency and intensifying the symptoms of deficiency fatigue Hence spleen deficiency and dampness accumulation constitute the primary pathogenesis of CRF in second-line treatment patients with colorectal cancer The Cangpo Liujun Prescription is a commonly used prescription for the pattern of spleen deficiency and dampness accumulation demonstrating certain efficacy in clinical prevention and treatment of CRF Composed of Cang Zhu Hou Po Chen Pi Ban Xia Dang Shen Bai Zhu Fu Ling and Gan Cao this formula employs Cang Zhu and Hou Po to eliminate dampness and fortify the spleen while Ban Xia and Chen Pi transform phlegm and regulate qi Dang Shen Bai Zhu Fu Ling and Gan Cao collectively tonify the spleen and boost qi with all eight herbs synergistically promoting spleen health and dampness transformation thereby ameliorating CRF-related symptoms A preliminary retrospective study involving six patients with colorectal cancer who underwent first-line treatment and were planned for second-line treatment found that the Cangpo Liujun Prescription could reduce PFS-R scores increase KPS scores and improve patients quality of life
3 The differences in intestinal microbiota among colorectal cancer patients with different traditional Chinese medicine TCM patterns indicate that maintaining the stability of the microbiota is pivotal for alleviating cancer-related fatigue CRF symptoms

Research has increasingly shown the relationship between disruptions in the gut microbiota and various diseases For instance compared to healthy individuals the abundance of Clostridium and Haemophilus genera is significantly higher in cases of Qi and Yin deficiency while Bacteroides Gemmiger and Prevotella genera are more prevalent in patients with Phlegm-Dampness syndrome Contrasting wet-heat syndrome with non-wet-heat syndrome individuals reveals a higher abundance of Veillonella Coprococcus and Acidaminococcus genera in the latter Additionally studies on a spleen deficiency rat model demonstrated that intervention with Si-Jun-Zi-Tang significantly improved symptoms such as eye squinting hunched back and lethargy potentially by modulating the immune system and gut microbiota mainly lactobacillus Dorea and Butyricimonas genera

Comparing late-stage colorectal cancer patients with early-stage ones the former exhibit higher spleen deficiency scores accompanied by a significant increase in Prevotella Escherichia-Shigella and Bacteroides genera while the abundance of Clostridium sensu stricto is notably reduced Furthermore our team investigated the differences in intestinal microbiota between colorectal cancer patients with a deficiency of righteous Qi and those with an abundance of pathogenic factors We found that compared to the healthy control group the abundance of Clostridium difficile was reduced in the deficiency of righteous Qi group while lactobacillus abundance increased In contrast there was a decrease in Prevotellaceae abundance and a significant increase in Streptococcaceae in the group with an abundance of pathogenic factors providing a biological basis for TCM syndrome differentiation and treatment in colorectal cancer

Current pharmacological treatments for CRF such as psychostimulants eg methylphenidate modafinil paroxetine and dietary supplements eg coenzyme Q10 L-carnitine guarana have not yet achieved satisfactory efficacy and are associated with certain side effects With further research it has been discovered that the composition of the intestinal microbiota is closely related to the severity of CRF The central nervous system plays a crucial role in inducing CRF Cancer cells disrupt the stability of the gut microbiota during their development and gut microbiota imbalance can indirectly affect the central nervous system via the gut-brain axis further exacerbating CRF Inflammation may be the primary driving factor affecting the gut-brain axis Therefore maintaining the stability of the microbiota is crucial for alleviating CRF symptoms Traditional Chinese medicine TCM and its active ingredients can regulate the composition of the gut microbiota thereby influencing the reshaping of the tumor microenvironment in colorectal cancer treatment and TCM has indeed been shown to significantly improve CRF-related symptoms warranting further investigation
4 Scientific hypothesis and research significance Based on the preliminary research findings and literature review our team posits a rational hypothesis the administration of Cangpo Liujun Prescription CPLJ may ameliorate cancer-related fatigue CRF symptoms in advanced colorectal cancer patients with Spleen Deficiency and Dampness Excess SDDE type by rectifying chemotherapy-induced intestinal microbiota dysbiosis IFI thereby reducing the levels of inflammatory factors in the body and modulating the gut-brain axis refer to Figure 1 We propose to include CRF patients with SDDE type late-stage colorectal cancer randomly assigning them into two groups CPLJ group and placebo group and comparing differences in patients Progression-Free Survival-Related PFS-R scores traditional Chinese medicine syndrome scores quality of life assessments immune function tests inflammatory factor assays objective response rates ORR disease control rates DCR as well as intestinal microbiota aiming to offer a novel effective approach for TCM treatment of CRF in late-stage colorectal cancer to explore new biomarkers for CRF and its translational research and to further enrich the microcosmic differentiation system of intestinal microbiota in SDDE type late-stage colorectal cancer patients

Study Oversight

Has Oversight DMC: None
Is a FDA Regulated Drug?: False
Is a FDA Regulated Device?: False
Is an Unapproved Device?: None
Is a PPSD?: None
Is a US Export?: None
Is an FDA AA801 Violation?: None