Clinical effect of Shugan Jieyu San (疏肝解郁散) for improving liver function and alleviating depression in patients with triple negative breast cancer

  • Yang ZHANG ,
  • Wang LYU ,
  • Xin XU ,
  • Jie LI ,
  • Shengli HU ,
  • Ying WANG
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  • 1 Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Cangzh ou Central Hospital, Cangzhou 061001, China
    2 Thyroid and Breast Surgery Department, Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou 061001, China
    3 Information construction office, Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou 061001, China

Received date: 2024-02-22

  Accepted date: 2024-08-20

  Online published: 2025-05-21

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of a self-formulated Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Shugan Jieyu San (疏肝解郁散), on improvement of liver function and depression alleviation in the patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC).
METHODS: A total of 60 patients diagnosed with TNBC and depression were enrolled and randomly assigned to either the control group (receiving routine tumor treatment and duloxetine) or the treatment group (receiving the TCM in addition to routine treatment).
RESULTS: Both treatment and control groups showed a reduction in depressive symptoms and improved daily living abilities after treatment. However, the treatment group demonstrated significantly better outcomes compared to the control group. Furthermore, the levels of dopamine and serotonin in the serum increased in both groups after 8 weeks of treatment, while the treatment group exhibited superior results.
CONCLUSIONS: This TCM showed promising results in reducing depressive symptoms and improving daily abilities in patients with TNBC and comorbid depression, which was verified by the increase in serum levels of dopamine and serotonin, suggesting the potential involvement of these neurotransmitters in the therapeutic effects of this TCM.

Cite this article

Yang ZHANG , Wang LYU , Xin XU , Jie LI , Shengli HU , Ying WANG . Clinical effect of Shugan Jieyu San (疏肝解郁散) for improving liver function and alleviating depression in patients with triple negative breast cancer[J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2025 , 45(3) : 633 -638 . DOI: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2025.03.016

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