BACKGROUND: At present, colorectal cancer is routinely treated with adjuvant 
radiotherapy and chemotherapy postoperatively. The adverse effects (AEs) of 
chemotherapy usually interrupt the treatment of chemotherapy. Traditional 
Chinese medicine (TCM) has demonstrated great potential in improving patients' 
clinical symptoms, regulating the immune function, improving the life quality, 
and reducing the AEs of chemotherapy.
AIM: To observe the clinical efficacy of Yiqi Jianpi anti-cancer prescription 
combined with chemotherapy in patients with colorectal cancer after operation.
METHODS: Data from patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer between January 
2019 and February 2021 were collected from Liaoning Cancer Hospital and 
Institute and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning University of 
Traditional Chinese Medicine. Patients receiving the chemotherapy regimen of 
capecitabine plus oxaliplatin (CAPOX) after radical resection of colorectal 
cancer were prospectively collected and randomly divided into an experimental 
group and a control group. The experimental group was given Yiqi Jianpi 
anti-cancer prescription combined with the CAPOX regimen, while the control 
group was given the CAPOX regimen alone. After six cycles of chemotherapy, the 
scores of TCM symptoms, Karnofsky performance scale (KPS) score, levels of 
T-cell subsets, and AEs after chemotherapy of the two groups were compared.
RESULTS: A total of 70 patients were randomly divided into either an 
experimental group (n = 35, no dropout) or a control group (n = 33, with 2 
dropouts). Compared with the control group, the experimental group improved 
significantly (P < 0.05) in scores of TCM symptoms, KPS score, levels of T-cell 
subsets, and AEs of chemotherapy.
CONCLUSION: Yiqi Jianpi anti-cancer prescription can effectively improve spleen 
deficiency, regulate the immune function, and alleviate the AEs of chemotherapy, 
so as to improve the life quality of patients with good therapeutic effects and 
application prospect in clinical practice.