An Analysis of the Experience in Treating Irinotecan-Induced Delayed Diarrhea with the Method of Acrid Opening and Bitter Descending

Corresponding author: Chen Xi, fuzhoucxi@qq.com

DOI: 10.12201/bmr.202601.00024

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  Abstract: Irinotecan is a commonly used chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of tumors, and the diarrhea it induces is a frequent dose-limiting toxicity in clinical practice, significantly impacting the treatment process and the quality of life of patients. This condition can be categorized under the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) concepts of diarrhea and dysentery. Professor Chen Xi, who has long been dedicated to the clinical practice and research of integrated Chinese and Western medicine in oncology, posits that the core pathogenesis of this condition lies in the combined effects of internal consumption by cancer toxins and external assault by drug toxins, leading to spleen-stomach deficiency, impaired pivot mechanism, and the separation of the clear and turbid, resulting in diarrhea. The syndrome is often characterized by a mixture of cold and heat, as well as deficiency and excess. This article aims to provide a brief analysis of Professor Chens experience in treating this condition with the method of acrid opening and bitter descending, and to share a successful case where Banxia Xiexin Decoction was used to regulate the middle burner qi mechanism, balance cold and heat, and simultaneously tonify and purge, effectively treating Irinotecan-induced diarrhea. This case is intended to offer insights and approaches for the clinical differentiation and treatment of such complications.

  Key words: Irinotecan; Diarrhea; Method of Acrid Opening and Bitter Descending; Banxia Xiexin Decoction

  Submit time: 9 January 2026

  Copyright: The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted biomedRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.
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