Effects of traditional Chinese medicine directional drug penetration therapy on gastrointestinal function, gut microbiota, and sleep quality in postoperative ovarian cancer patients: a randomized controlled trial
In brief
TCM directional therapy speeds return of bowel function after ovarian cancer surgery
In a randomized trial of 112 patients, adding traditional Chinese medicine directional drug penetration to standard rehab shortened the time to first bowel sounds, gas passage and stool compared with rehab alone. The treatment also shifted gut microbes toward Veillonellales and reduced sleep disturbance scores, suggesting benefits for postoperative recovery, though larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.
- Journal
- Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (Q1)
- Published
- 19 August 2026
- Study design
- Randomized controlled trial
- Evidence level
- Level 1, High (CEBM 1b)
- Authors
- Xiaoxue Wu, Wei Wang
- PMID
- 42616157
- DOI
- 10.1007/s00520-026-11096-w
Why clinicians should know about it
- Picked for Microbiology (medical) (top studies of the week, 23 August 2026): TCM directional therapy, not microbiology
Abstract
PURPOSE: To investigate the intervention effects of TCM directional drug penetration therapy on gastrointestinal function, gut microbiota, and sleep quality in postoperative ovarian cancer patients. METHODS: A total of 112 postoperative ovarian cancer patients were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, with 56 cases in each group. The control group received conventional postoperative rehabilitation interventions, while the observation group additionally received TCM directional drug penetration therapy until the first bowel movement. Gastrointestinal function recovery indicators, gut microbiota diversity and differential flora composition, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The observation group exhibited significantly shorter recovery times to first bowel sounds, anal flatus, and defecation (P < 0.05). LEfSe analysis revealed that the dominant bacteria in the observation group were Veillonellales-Selenomonadales, Megasphaera, and Corynebacterium, whereas the control group was dominated by Gardnerella. KEGG functional prediction indicated that the gene sequence abundance of the phosphotransferase system (PTS) pathway in the gut microbiota of the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group. Post-intervention, the total PSQI score, sleep duration, sleep efficiency, and sleep disturbance scores in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: TCM directional drug penetration therapy can accelerate gastrointestinal function recovery after ovarian cancer surgery, regulate specific gut microbiota and functional pathways, and alleviate postoperative sleep quality decline.
Abstract as published, via PubMed.
For healthcare professionals. The summary is generated by AI from the published abstract, and the evidence level is assigned automatically from the study design on the Oxford CEBM hierarchy. Neither is medical advice. Read the full paper before changing practice.