TREATMENT OF INCURABLE LIVER CANCER (HEPATOMA) BY FOUR TRADITIONAL HERBAL MEDICINES

M. Rafiq, Muhammad Hanif*, Akhtar Ahmed, Asim Awan, Salman Habib, Amir Awan, Ajaz Rasool, Miandad Zardari

Prognosis of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is very poor. Chemotherapeutic agents in allopathic medicines are hardly effective. Long time of survival is possible only in cases of full surgical excision or liver transplantation. Use of herbal medicine in the treatment of liver cancer and other cancers has a long tradition. A total of 30 HCC patients (66% were chronic hepatitis patients) treated with four well known herbal aqueous extracts (viz Bergenia ciliata, Nigella sativa, cassia fistula and Picrorhiza scrophulariflora) in which 17 patients were females and 13 males in age group ranges from 42-72 years. Over all six cases were HBV positive, 11 cases were HCV positive and one case with co-infection HBV and HCV viruses. All others were HBV/HCV negative. All individuals were diagnosed as HCC and further monitored on ultrasound, CT scan and alpha fetoprotein; some of them were confirmed additionally with MRI and tissue biopsy. Their liver function tests and serological tests, to determine the status of HBV and HCV were also performed. Out of 30 confirmed HCC patients 10 showed hundred percent improvements displaying no evidence of mass in liver. Ten patients showed remarkable reduction in their size of tumor/mass and are still on medication. Eight patients were having non compliance who had started treatment but either left in the mid of treatment or lack of follow up while the two patients were passed away. All on medication patients showed remarkable improvement and reduction in the size of tumor. However, no adverse effects were observed. To obtain a convincible data it is proposed to treat all the patients approximately for a minimum period of 5 years.