Preliminary Efficacy and Safety of Reishi & Privet Formula on Quality of Life Among Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial

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#antineoplastic-combined-chemotherapy-protocols #carcinoma-non-small-cell-lung #double-blind-method #humans #ligustrum

Preliminary Efficacy and Safety of Reishi & Privet Formula on Quality of Life Among Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial

Liu et al., 2020 | Integr Cancer Ther | Rct

Citation

Liu Jie, Mao Jun J, ... Lin Hongsheng. Preliminary Efficacy and Safety of Reishi & Privet Formula on Quality of Life Among Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial. Integr Cancer Ther. 2020;19:1534735420944491. doi:10.1177/1534735420944491

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Cancer patients often experience decreased quality of life during chemotherapy. This study aimed to determine the preliminary efficacy and safety of Reishi & Privet Formula (RPF) for maintaining quality of life among patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing chemotherapy. METHODS: We conducted a phase II randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in China. Adults with NSCLC scheduled to receive chemotherapy were randomly assigned (3:1 ratio) to receive oral RPF (3.36 g/day) or placebo daily for 6 weeks. The main outcome was the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung (FACT-L). We evaluated RPF's safety profile using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events and assessed changes in outcome measures from baseline to weeks 3 and 6 using a linear mixed effects model. RESULTS: We enrolled 82 participants across 8 cancer centers in China. The median age was 59 years, 56 (68%) had advanced cancer. Compared with the placebo group, the RPF group had nonstatistically significant higher quality of life as measured by the FACT-L total score (P = .086) over 2 cycles of chemotherapy. The RPF group was associated with a nonsignificant better general health (P = .050) and emotional well-being (P = .090) than the placebo group. Adverse events rates did not differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated preliminary safety and suggests a promising trend in RPF's effect on maintaining quality of life and emotional well-being among NSCLC patients undergoing chemotherapy. Future adequately powered randomized-controlled trials are needed to verify the efficacy and safety of RPF in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Key Findings

We enrolled 82 participants across 8 cancer centers in China. The median age was 59 years, 56 (68%) had advanced cancer. Compared with the placebo group, the RPF group had nonstatistically significant higher quality of life as measured by the FACT-L total score (P = .086) over 2 cycles of chemotherapy. The RPF group was associated with a nonsignificant better general health (P = .050) and emotional well-being (P = .090) than the placebo group. Adverse events rates did not differ between groups.

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population non
Sample Size 82
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Humans
  • Ligustrum
  • Lung Neoplasms
  • Middle Aged
  • Quality of Life
  • Reishi

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Rct
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Vertical: reishi

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09