Clinical observation of Brucea javanica oil emulsion injection combined with S-1 for treatment of elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer

Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of Brucea javanica oil injection combined with S-1 in the treatment of elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer. Methods The clinical data of 62 elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer who were admitted to Shanxi Provincial Cancer Hospital from May 2017 to May 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Thirty-one patients in the control group treated with S-1 alone, and 31 patients in the observation group treated with S-1 combined with Brucea oil emulsion injection. The clinical efficacy, adverse reactions, immune function and quality of life of the two groups were compared. Results The total effective rates of the observation group and the control group were 70.97% (22/31) and 48.39% (15/31), respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (χ 2 = 11.889, P 0.05). The Karnofsky scores of the observation group and the control group after treatment were (92±4) points and (86±3) points, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (t = -2.075, P = 0.042). The serum levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon-γ in the observation group after treatment were (38±4) ng/L and (51±4) ng/L, and the levels in the control group were (31±3) ng/L and (40±4) ng/L, respectively, and the differences were statistically significant (t values were -2.097 and -2.293, both P < 0.05), and the serum levels of IL-4, IL-6 and IL-10 in the observation group after treatment were (42±5) ng/L, (34±4) ng/L and (22±2) ng/L, and the levels in the control group were (59±6) ng/L, (50±5) ng/L and (30±3) ng/L, respectively, and the differences were statistically significant (t values were 2.109, 2.867 and 4.278, all P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α between the observation group and the control group after treatment (t = -0.922, P = 0.360). Conclusion Compared with monotherapy of S-1, the treatment of Brucea javanica oil emulsion injection combined with S-1 can improve the clinical efficacy, reduce the incidence of adverse reactions, enhance the immune function and effectively improve the quality of life of elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer. Key words: Stomach neoplasms; Aged; S-1; Brucea javanica oil injection; Treatment outcome; Adverse reactions