Case Report on the Five-year Survival of a Patient with Rectal Cancer Treated with Integrative Medicine After Resection and Chemoradiation Therapy

Abstract

Objectives: This is a five-year survival and complete response (CR) report on rectal cancer treated with western medicine and Korean traditional medicine.Method: A 25-year-old woman diagnosed with rectal cancer visited ○○ Korean traditional medicine hospital after neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiation therapy, chemotherapy, and low anterior resection with regional lymph node dissection. She was treated with Korean traditional medicine, including acupuncture, abdominal moxibustion, wild ginseng pharmacopuncture, and herbal medicine, which was based on integrated medicine therapy (IMT), from January 2018 to February 2022. The tumor size was measured by scanning with computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging, and positron-emission tomography/CT. Adverse events were evaluated using laboratory conclusion and National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0.Result: During four years of treatment, IMT maintained safety. The patient finally reached five-year survival without any recurrence or complication (CR) on March 11, 2022.Conclusion: We suggest that an integrative approach including Korean traditional medicine can be a meaningful treatment option for rectal cancer. Further studies should be performed to establish the proper treatment protocol of integrative medicine for rectal cancer.