Abstract: Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the short-term efficacy of auxiliary DutanyuPixu Formulae, herbal medicine compound, therapy after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in the treatment of patients with primary liver cancer(PLC) and to observe the changes of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF) and thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) levels. Methods 68 patients with PLC were encountered in our hospital between June 2020 and January 2022, and were randomly divided into control and observation group, with 34 cases in each group. The patients in the control group was treated with TACE, with cisplatin, epirubicin and fluorouracil infusion, and those in the observation group was treated with DutanyuPixu Formulae after TACE. The percentages of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets were detected by FCM, serum AFP, CEA, CA19-9 and CA125 were assayed. Serum VEGF, b-FGF and TSP-1 levels were detected by ELISA. Results At the end of three month treatment, the partial remission, stable disease and disease progression rates in the observation group were 14.7%, 61.7% and 23.5%, not significantly different compared to 11.7%, 52.9% and 35.2% in the control(P＞0.05); the percentages of CD3⁺, CD4⁺, NK and ratio of CD4⁺/ CD8⁺ were (66.1±5.4)%,(39.8±4.2)%, (14.7±2.8)% and (1.5±0.2), not significantly different compared to [(60.2±5.3)%, (35.5±3.4)%, (10.2±2.4)% and (1.4±0.2), respectively, P＞0.05]; serum AFP, CEA, CA19-9 and CA125 levels were (284.7±29.4)μg/L, (13.2±3.4)ng/mL, (36.1±10.7)U/mL and (26.4±13.7)U/mL, all significantly lower than [(334.4±27.6)μg/L, (17.7±3.4)ng/mL, (44.6±11.2)U/mL and (35.8±14.4)U/mL, respectively, P<0.05] in the control; the improvement of liver function tests was also superior to that in the control(P<0.05); serum VEGF, b-FGF and TSP-1 levels were (126.3±52.1)pg/mL, (32.1±8.3)pg/mL and (68.3±31.2)μg/mL, all significantly lower than [(194.3±62.2)pg/mL, (44.7±9.5)pg/mL and (91.9±32.4)μg/mL, respectively, P＜0.05] in the control group. Conclusion The auxiliary DutanyuPixu Formulae therapy after TACE in treatment of patients with PLC do not improve the short-term clinical efficacy, but it seems to improve the liver function tests and tumor indicators, which might inhibit the tumor progression by reducing serum angiogenic factor levels.

Key words: Hepatoma, DutanyuPixu Formulae, herbal medicine, Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, Vascular endothelial growth factor, Basic fibroblast growth factor, Thrombospondin-1, Therapy