Long-term Survival of a Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patient Treated by Korean Medicine Combined with Western Therapy: a Case Report

Objectives: Hepatocellular carcinoma patients have a poor prognosis and survival beyond 5 years is very rare in spite of western treatment. We report a case of long-term survival of a hepatocellular carcinoma patient treated by Korean medicine combined with western therapy. Methods: The treatment was provided from November 2004 to July 2012. Herbal medicine, acupuncture and moxibustion treatment were used as main treatment methods. We prescribed herbal medicines three times a day and performed acupuncture and moxibustion an average of 2-3 times a week. Clinical laboratory tests were performed each month and a CT scan was carried out 13 times during the treatment period. In order to evaluate the disease status, we checked the patient's abdominal circumference, weight change and subjective symptoms regularly. Results: During treatment, subjective symptoms of the patient and state of ascites due to hepatocellular carcinoma were relatively stable. The progress of hepatocellular carcinoma was gradual without worsening rapidly. Since the initial diagnosis with hepatocellular carcinoma, the patient survived for a further 7 years and 9 months treated by Korean medicine combined with western treatment. Conclusions: According to the above results, this case indicates that Korean medical treatment combined with western therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma patients has synergistic effects of prolonged survival, relief of symptoms and management of complications.