According to the research titled “Complementary & Alternative Medicine (CAM) among Singapore cancer patients” by Wen Hann Chow et al. from the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, National University of Singapore, that was published in Ann Acad Med Singapore in 2010, about 55% of Singaporean patients reported the use of CAM use after cancer diagnosis. 51% of these CAM users inform their doctors about their use of CAM. 78% of patients expected at least basic knowledge of CAM from their oncologists.

Material and methods: The research team interviewed 316 patients visiting the Cancer Centre of the National University Hospital on behaviour, attitudes and expectations towards CAM and assessed QOL via Euroqol Questionnaire (EQ-5D). Medical information was obtained from oncologists.

Results: 173 patients (55%) reported CAM use after cancer diagnosis. Chinese ethnicity, tertiary education, age <65 years and previous CAM use were independent predictors of CAM use. 51% of CAM users informed their doctors about their use and 15% of doctors reported to be aware of CAM use in these patients. Thirty-seven per cent believed CAM to be equally or more effective than conventional cancer therapies and 78% expected at least basic knowledge about CAM from their oncologists. 25% of patients reported concurrent use of oral CAM and chemotherapy, of which oncologists were unaware in 86% of cases. CAM users had higher EuroQol utility scores than non-CAM users (0.79 versus 0.73, respectively, P = 0.03), in particularly those aged >or=65 years and those with stage IV disease.

Conclusion: Singapore cancer patients show high prevalence of CAM use, high expectations regarding its effectiveness and doctors’ knowledge on CAM and many use it concurrently with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Since oncologists are generally unaware of CAM use in their patients, doctor-patient communication on CAM use needs to be improved. The association of CAM use and higher QOL scores in some subgroups deserves further exploration.

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The Role of TXL Phytoceutical as Cancer Complementary & Alternative Medicine

Tian Xian Liquid (TXL) Phytoceutical is a brand of Chinese Medicine with published research articles of effectiveness towards cancer cells. TXL has been used in international market for cancer patients since 1991. Today, the research of TXL has produced 26 research articles that are published in international journal, including 2 clinical trials (one for Breast Cancer in Taiwan National Hospital and the other for Nasopharyngeal Cancer in Dharmais Cancer Hospital Jakarta). TXL has also made it to the dictionary of American National Cancer Institute (NCI).

TXL

According to the entry, TXL (or THL in Taiwanese pronounciation), has potential antioxidant, immunomodulating and anti-neoplastic (anti-cancer) activities. The immunomodulating function includes modulating the activity of Natural Killer (NK) cells and Cytotoxic T-Lymphocytes (CTLs).

In summary, here’s a couple of TXL’s functions:

1. Helps to Induce Apoptosis (Programmed Cell Death) of Cancer Cells

In 2005, the research of Andy Sun’s team from National Taiwan University regarding TXL’s ability to inhibit cancer cell growth and induces apoptosis (programmed cell death) in a wide variety of human cancer cells was published by the Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine.

Objective: Tian Xian Liquid (TXL) is a commercially available Chinese herbal mixture that has been used as an anticancer dietary supplement for more than 10 years. We recently showed that TXL has strong immunomodulatory effects on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and T cells. To investigate the anti-tumor activity of TXL further, we sought to test whether TXL could induce apoptosis in various human cancer cell lines based on the fact that TXL contains several components with tumor killing functions.

Design: The growth inhibitory effect of TXL on human cervical carcinoma C-33A cells, human lung carcinoma H1299 cells, and human PBMC was assessed by counting viable cells using the trypan blue dye exclusion method. The apoptosis-inducing activity of TXL in H1299 cells was assessed by analyzing the cells with

four assays: (1) Hoechst 33258 nuclear DNA staining; (2) the terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated

dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay; (3) the nucleosomal DNA fragment ladder assay; and (4) the sub-G1 cell analysis. The activities of caspase-8, -9, and -3 in H1299 cells treated with or without TXL were also measured to elucidate the possible mechanism underlying THL apoptosis-inducing effect. Finally, the apoptotic effect of TXL on fifteen human cancer cell lines and normal human cells were analyzed by the TUNEL assay.

Results: TXL could induce apoptosis in all human cancer cell lines tested but not in normal human cells. THL treatment of H1299 cancer cells resulted in activation of caspase-8, -9, and -3 and the inhibitors of these caspases could partially block TXL-induced apoptosis.

Conclusions: TXL has been used by numerous patients with cancer for many years with no known adverse effect. Our present study showing that THL had a broad-range tumor killing function has provided a molecular basis underlying TXL therapeutic activity. Furthermore, because TXL had apoptotic effects only on cancer cells but not on normal cells, this selectivity suggests that THL could be a potential cancer therapeutic agent.

The research found that TXL induces apoptosis (programmed cell death) in a wide variety of human cancer cells.

Apoptosis Table

2. Helps to Trigger G2/M Cell Cycle Arrest of Cancer Cells

3. Have Synergistic Effect with Medical Treatment and Helps to Minimize Medical Treatment’s Side Effects. Helps to Improve Patients’ Quality of Life

4. Helps to Inhibit Metastasis and Angiogenesis of Cancer Cells

5. Helps to Modulate Immune System (Natural Killer Cells and Cytotoxic T-Lymphocytes)

Main Ingredients of Tian Xian Liquid

Changbai River

The ingredients of TXL come from herbs with immune-enhancing properties that grew in the vulcanic soil of Changbai mountain in Jilin Province, Northeast of China. This vulcanic soil is known to be rich in valuable minerals.

Below is the ingredients of TXL Phytoceutical and it’s functions:

Radix Ginseng	12.5%	Assist in enhancing various body’s immune functions
Cordyceps Sinensis	24%	Contains anti-aging, glycemic regulation, aphrodisiac, dan anti-cancer properties
Astragali Radix	15%	Enhances immunity against pathogenic microbes, enhances T-Lymphocytes functions
Radix Glycyrrhizae	5%	Assists in inhibiting the growth of enterovirus, adenoviridae tipe 3, herpes simplex type 1 dan vaccinia/cowpox
Rhizoma Dioscoreae	11%	The oil contained can assist to inhibit esophageal cancer and ascites accummulation inside abdominal cavity
Margarita	4%	Assists in neutralizing free radicals dan cellular oxidation
Fructus Lycii	9%	Assists in immunomodulation, enhancing the communication of nervous system, and supporting endocrine functions
Ganoderma	17%	Contains anti-cancer functions, immunomodulation, anti-oxidant, protects liver dan glycemic regulation function
Fructus Ligustri Lucidi	0.5%	Assists in increasing lymphocytes production and reducing leukocytes damage caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy
Herba Scutellariae Barbatae	2%	Assists in inhibiting Leukemia cells effectively, enhancing body’s protection and inhibiting cancer metastasis