Clinical outcomes of Ayurveda Rasayana therapy (ART) in advanced pancreatic cancer patients: A retrospective study

Purpose: A significant proportion, 25-60%, of pancreatic cancer patients cannot receive standard chemotherapy or surgery, usually due to poor performance status, advanced disease, or significant comorbidities. The median survival of these patients is only 3-6 months, and the primary therapeutic goals are improvement of Quality of Life (QoL) and extension of survival. This study evaluates the role of Ayurveda Rasayana Therapy (ART) in this category of patients. Method: We retrospectively analyzed data from 17 patients with advanced, inoperable pancreatic cancer who were ineligible for chemotherapy. Patients were treated exclusively with Ayurvedic Rasayana preparations primarily containing preparations like Heeraka Bhasma (diamond) , Suvarna Bhasma (gold) , and Tamra Bhasma (copper) , Shankha Bhasma (Conch) , Moutika Bhasma (Pearl) . Health-related QoL was assessed by the FACT-G questionnaire, and performance status was measured by the ECOG scale at baseline and on day 90. The patient's anorexia was measured by the Anorexia-Cachexia Scale (ACS). Results: The patients mean age was 62.75±9.14. Treatment significantly improved FACT-G overall quality of life scores (48±14.71 vs 56.35±10.85; p <0.05). ECOG performance status showed significant improvement as compared to baseline (2.29±0.84 vs 1.85±0.79; p <0.05). A significant reduction in anorexia was also noted (19±35 vs 28.35±8.20; p <0.05). Partial tumour response was recorded for two patients. The average survival seen in this group was 316±248.76, days which surpassed the expected range of 3 to 6 months. Conclusions: This preliminary data indicates that Ayurveda Rasayana Therapy may be a beneficial intervention to improve quality of life, reduce disease-related distress, and extend survival in pancreatic cancer patients with no standard treatment options. As these results are based on observations from a small sample size, they should be interpreted with caution and need further rigorous investigation.