Effect of Danggui Buxue Medicinal Diet on cancer-related fatigue in anemic colon cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy

BACKGROUND: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is one of the most common and distressing symptoms experienced by patients undergoing chemotherapy, and no gold standard for the treatment of CRF has been established. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the Danggui Buxue Medicinal Diet on CRF in patients with chemotherapy-induced anemia following colon cancer surgery. METHODS: A total of 96 patients admitted to the intestinal surgery ward and daytime chemotherapy ward of a tertiary hospital from May 2021 to December 2022 who met the inclusion criteria were selected and randomly divided into 2 groups: 48 patients in the control group and 48 in the experimental group. The control group received standard treatment and nursing care for postoperative chemotherapy for colon cancer, while the experimental group followed the control group's regimen and additionally received the Danggui Buxue Medicinal Diet for 21 consecutive days. Fatigue levels, blood counts, and inflammatory factors were compared before and after the intervention in both groups. RESULTS: A total of 86 patients completed the study. After the intervention, the CRF scores in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group (29.14 ± 2.58 vs 44.02 ± 4.25), with a between-group mean difference of -14.88 (95% confidence interval [CI], -16.38 to -13.38; P < .001). Hemoglobin levels were significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group (115.26 ± 11.72 vs 106.52 ± 12.93), with a mean difference of 8.74 (95% CI, 3.45-14.03; P < .001). Red blood cell counts were also higher in the experimental group (mean difference 0.61; 95% CI, 0.44-0.78; P < .001). In addition, levels of inflammatory factors were significantly reduced, with interleukin-6 showing a mean difference of -16.28 (95% CI, -20.10 to -12.46; P < .001) and tumor necrosis factor-α showing a mean difference of -26.09 (95% CI, -29.80 to -22.38; P < .001). CONCLUSION: The Danggui Buxue Medicinal Diet was associated with improvements in CRF, hematological parameters, and inflammatory markers in patients with chemotherapy-induced anemia following colon cancer surgery. These findings suggest that it may have potential as a supportive nutritional intervention for managing CRF in this population.