Real-world Efficacy Analysis of Combined Chinese and Western Medicine in the Treatment of Extensive-stage Small Cell Lung Cancer

Objective: To explore the efficacy of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment of extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). Methods: Patients who were hospitalized and outpatients in the Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine from April 1, 2018, to April 1, 2023, were selected and screened according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 161 patients were included, of which the control group was chemotherapy combined with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and the experimental group was chemotherapy + immunotherapy combined with TCM. The primary endpoint of this study was overall survival (OS), and secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), objective remission rate (ORR), and disease control rate (DCR). SPSS 25.0 statistical software and R software (version 4.2.1) were used for processing and data analysis. Results: The prognosis of patients treated with chemotherapy + immunotherapy combined with TCM was significantly better than that of the chemotherapy combined with TCM group, with median OS (15.07 months vs. 13.3 months, P = 0.02) and median PFS (6.87 months vs. 5.97 months, P = 0.04). Conclusion: Based on adjuvant therapy with TCM, chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy has more advantages than chemotherapy alone in prolonging the median OS and PFS. It can improve the general condition of patients after treatment, enhance their tolerance, and provide basic guarantees for subsequent treatment.