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http://dx.doi.org/10.22246/jikm.2017.38.5.820

A Case Study of a Patient with Breast Cancer Treated with a Combination of Traditional Korean Medicine and Chemotherapy  

Han, Ga-jin (Soram Korean Medicine Hospital)
Lee, A-ram (Soram Korean Medicine Hospital)
Jung, Jun-suk (Soram Korean Medicine Hospital)
Seong, Sin (Soram Korean Medicine Hospital)
Kim, Sung-su (Soram Korean Medicine Hospital)
Publication Information
The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine / v.38, no.5, 2017 , pp. 820-827 More about this Journal
Abstract
The prevalence of breast cancer is very high in Korea. Although the patients receive standard treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy, they frequently experience recurrence or metastasis of their tumors. In addition, many patients with breast cancer also suffer from side effect symptoms induced by these standard treatments. Therefore, increasing numbers of patients now want to undergo treatment with traditional Korean medicine (TKM) in addition to conventional treatment. We present a case of 46-year-old female with recurred breast cancer. She first received two kinds of chemotherapy and then underwent surgery. She then also received 4 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy. At a follow-up examination, she was informed of recurrent lesions on the right anterior chest wall. She started to receive TKM treatments together with a new chemotherapy. After about one month, the size of the recurred tumor in right chest wall had decreased. Her symptoms, such as shoulder pain, chest pain, and nausea induced by conventional therapy, were also improved. We suggest that a combination of TKM and chemotherapy is a promising treatment for breast cancer.
Keywords
breast neoplasm; medicine; Korean traditional; integrative medicine; case reports;
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Times Cited By KSCI : 5  (Citation Analysis)
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