Comparing Astragalus Plus Gemcitabine to Gemcitabine Alone as Neoadjuvant Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer Patients

Exclusion Criteria

• •CNS damage or soft meningeal disease;
• •Metastasis to distant sites;
• •Other serious diseases or conditions, including congestive heart failure (New York Heart Association class III or IV), unstable angina pectoris, infarction in the past 6 months, severe arrhythmia, prolonged QT interval, active HIV infection or HIV disease, mental disorders, and substance abuse;
• •Known hypersensitivity to Astragalus or gemcitabine;
• •Pregnant or lactating women. Women of childbearing potential who are unwilling or unable to use an acceptable method of contraception throughout the treatment period of this trial and for 12 weeks after the last dose of study drug. Sexually active, fertile men who are not using effective contraception themselves if their partner is a woman of childbearing potential;
• •Known neuroendocrine tumor of the pancreas;
• •Receiving a concomitant treatment with drugs interacting with gemcitabine;
• •Past or concurrent cancers with primary foci or histology completely different from pancreatic cancer, except for cervical cancer in situ, previously treated basal cell carcinoma, and superficial bladder tumors (Ta, Tis \& T1). Any cancer cured \>5 years prior to enrollment is allowed;
• •Inability to swallow herbal medicines or untreated malabsorption syndrome and unwillingness to take herbal medicines.
• •Patients with poor compliance