Objective: To observe the effect of astragalus polysaccharides (APS) injection on 3-Dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Method: One hundred stage I-IV NSCLC patients were randomly divided into experimental group (n=50) and control group (n=50).Parients in experimental group were treated by APS combined with radiotherapy while the control group only received radiotherapy.And both groups were treated by 3D-CRT

with the total dose of 50-70 Gy and 2 Gy a time

5 times a week.250 mg APS injection (traditional Chinese medicine) with the addition of 500 mL or physiological saline was used for intravenous drop.The whole treatment course was synchronized with the radiotherapy.The comparison on short-term efficacy

peripheral blood

immune function and quality of life were given to the two groups. Result: The total effective rate of the experimental group was 88.0% and that of the control group was 74.0%

and there was no significant difference between the two groups.However

the increase rate of Karnofsky performance scale (KPS) for the two groups is 74.0% and 26.0%

respectively

showing extremely significant difference(P<0.01).T cell subset in the experimental group changes significantly before and after treatment (P<0.05) while there is no significant difference in the control group.Only neutrophilic granulocyte counting in the experimental group of peripheral blood routine has no significant change

while WBC counting before and after treatment and neutrophilic granulocyte counting in the control group have significant difference (P<0.05).There is significant difference between the experimental group and the control group after treatment(P<0.05). Conclusion: APS injection can reduce the side effects of 3D-CRT treatment for patients with NSCLC

meanwhile

it can improve the immunity of patients.