Case Report on Long Term Survival of Glioblastoma Patient Treated with Integrative Medicine

Juno Yang; Youngju Yun; Jinwoo Hong; Changwoo Han; Jungnam Kwon; In Lee; Seongha Park; Soyeon Kim; Junyong Choi; Hyeyoon Lee; Yang, Juno; Yun, Youngju; Hong, Jinwoo; Han, Changwoo; Kwon, Jungnam; Lee, In; Park, Seongha; Kim, Soyeon; Choi, Junyong; Lee, Hyeyoon

doi:10.13048/jkm.18008

JKM > Volume 39(1); 2018 > Article

Yang, Yun, Hong, Han, Kwon, Lee, Park, Kim, Choi, and Lee: Case Report on Long Term Survival of Glioblastoma Patient Treated with Integrative Medicine

Case Report

The Journal of Korean Medicine 2018; 39(1): 75-85.

Published online: March 31, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.13048/jkm.18008

Case Report on Long Term Survival of Glioblastoma Patient Treated with Integrative Medicine

Juno Yang¹, Youngju Yun²^{, 3}, Jinwoo Hong²^{, 3}

, Changwoo Han²^{, 3}, Jungnam Kwon²^{, 3}

, In Lee²^{, 3}, Seongha Park²^{, 3}, Soyeon Kim²^{, 3}, Junyong Choi²^{, 3}

, Hyeyoon Lee²

¹Kyungheeyedang Oriental Medical Clinic

²School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University

³Department of Internal Medicine, Pusan National University Korean Medicine Hospital

Correspondence to: 윤영주 (Youngju Yun), 경남 양산시물금읍 금오로 20, 부산대학교 한의학전문대학원, Tel: +82-55-360-5955, Fax: +82-55-360-5909, E-mail: mdkmdyun@pusan.ac.kr

Received December 29, 2017 Revised March 7, 2018 Accepted March 12, 2018

Abstract

Objectives: This is a long-term survival case report about glioblastoma treated with western medicine and traditional Korean medicine. 28 year-old man diagnosed glioblastoma in 2003 went through 2 year’s chemotherapy first. After emergency brain surgery he took acupuncture and Korean herbal medication including Dohongsamul-tang and Boan-Manyeongdan in addition to conventional radiotherapy and chemotherapy for 3 years. Since May 2008, he was exclusively treated with traditional Korean medicine except taking antiplatelets only for 9 years. Though he has sequelae of tumor necrosis such as facial palsy and hemiparesis, he has survived without recurrence more than 14 years. We suggest that integrative approach including traditional Korean medicine can be a meaningful treatment option for malignant brain tumor. Further studies with more cases should be performed to establish proper treatment protocol of integrative medicine for brain tumor.

Keywords: Glioblastoma, Traditional Korean Medicine, Integrative Medicine

Fig 1

Brain MRI before and after the First Surgery (2005.05.19)

Lt: before (2005.05.15), Rt: after (2005.05.20)

Fig. 2

Brain MRI Suspicious of Recurrence (2005. 11.17)

Fig. 3

Brain MRI (2006. 06.27)

Fig. 4

Brain MRI after the Second Surgery (2006.07.06)

Fig. 5

Brain MRI Suspicious of Tumor Progression (2006.11.21)

Fig. 6

Brain MRI (2009.01.08)

Fig. 7

Brain MRI of Hemorrhage (2010.04.13)

Fig. 8

Brain MRI (2015.06.11.)

Table 1

Contents of treatment and results between 2005-05-30 and 2008-05-21.

Period	2005.05.30~2005.06.21	2005.06.21~2006.03.29	2006.03.30~2008.05.21
Western medicine	Status post right temporal craniotomy & gross total resection of tumor with temporal lobectomy Depakin, Medilac DS, Gliatilin, Ascorbic acid, Levopride	Radiotherapy 30 times (05.06.09~08.04) dendritic cell implantation 3 times (05.09.07~10.21) Radioitherapy (05.12.08~12.21) Temodal 4 times (05.11.17~06.02.23)	PCV (06.03.30) Subtotal resection of tumor (06.07.05) PCV (3 times), Temodal (6 times) (06.03.30.~07.02.12) Embolectomy of left iliac vein (stent insertion), Warfarin sodium 5mg (06.08.30) Nolvadex 10mg 1Tab twice/day -> 5Tab twice/day Embolectomy of left iliac vein (07.07.14)
Clinically important events	-	Brain edema & compression of cerebral ventricle (05.12.08~12 21)	Right facial paralysis and left side hemiparesis (06.05.02) Progress in Facial paralysis and hemiparesis (06.06.27) appetite hyperactivity, body weight gain (07.08.23)
Brain MRI	-	suspicion of recurrence at primary site (05.11.17. Fig. 2)	Brain edema. No progression in brain tumor. Necrosis of most tumor tissue (06.07.05 Fig. 4) tumor progressioin (07.11.21)
Herbal medication	半夏白朮天麻湯(for 3weeks)	桃紅四物湯加味方I 保安萬靈丹小柴胡湯加味方	桃紅四物湯加味方II 加人蔘桃紅四物湯加味方II 加人蔘, 鹿茸右歸飮加人蔘, 鹿茸
Targets for herbal medicatioin	Protection of normal brain tissue Prevention of brain edema Promotion of thrombus absorption	桃紅四物湯加味方I: prevention of tumor recurrence 保安萬靈丹: hemiparesis 小柴胡湯加味方: fever due to radiotherapy	桃紅四物湯加味方II 加人蔘: tumor and general weakness 桃紅四物湯加味方II 加鹿茸: bone marrow dysfunction 右歸飮加人蔘, 鹿茸: severer bone marrow dysfunction
Acupuncture	風池, 風府, 啞門, 曲池, 三陰交

PVC: Procarbazine, Lomustine (CCNU), Vincristine

Table 2

Contents of treatment and results between 2008-05-22 and 2017-08.

Period	2008.05.22~2010.04.12	2010.04.13
Herbal medication	桃紅四物湯加味方II 保安萬靈丹	桃紅四物湯加味方 II 加牧丹皮, 三七根
Targets for herbal medication	桃紅四物湯加味方II: prevention of tumor recurrence 保安萬靈丹: prevention of tumor recurrence, alleviation of paralysis	Absorption of hemorrhage
Brain MRI	Improvement in enhancing lesion (09.01.08. Fig. 6)	Cerebral hemorrhage (10.04.13. Fig 7) No specific findings (15.06.11. Fig 8)
Clinically important event	Hiccup (10.04.13)	aPTT=3.08, (11.07 19.) Warfarin sodium 5mg stop aPTT=1.8, (11.07.22.) Warfarin sodium 2.5mg start
Acupuncture	Acupuncture on the paralyzed region to reduce spasticity and muscle stiffness, and to promote improvement by sensory stimulation

aPTT: activated partial thromboplastin time

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