ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of traditional herbal medicine (THM) as adjunctive therapy for breast cancer as evidenced by randomized controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS: Five electronic English and Chinese databases were systematically searched up to February, 2014. All RCTs involving THM in combination with conventional cancer therapy for breast cancer were included. RESULTS: Eight RCTs involving 798 breast cancer patients were systematically reviewed. Three studies reported a significant difference in the improvement of quality of life (QOL) compared to the control group. Two studies reported an increase in the white blood cell count after treatment. Data on hot flashes and sleep quality were evaluated. However, no significant differences in immediate tumor response were observed. CONCLUSION: THM combined with conventional therapy in the treatment of breast cancer is efficacious in improving QOL and in decreasing the number of hot flashes per day. More research and well-designed, rigorous, large clinical trials are necessary to further address these issues.
Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy , Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use , Medicine, East Asian Traditional , Phytotherapy , Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use , Combined Modality Therapy , Female , Humans , Quality of LifeABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of traditional herbal medicine (THM) as an adjunctive therapy for cancer pain is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of THM as an adjunctive therapy for cancer pain using randomized controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS: Five electronic databases, including those from the UK and China, were systematically searched for the period before September 2013. All RCTs involving the use of THM in combination with conventional cancer therapy for cancer pain were included. RESULTS: Twenty-four RCTs involving 4889 patients with cancer pain were systematically reviewed. Among them, nine studies of 952 patients reported a significant decrease in the number of patients with cancer pain in the treatment group. Four studies of 1696 patients reported a significant decrease in the degree of pain in the treatment group. CONCLUSION: The results of these studies suggest that THM combined with conventional therapy is efficacious as an adjunctive therapy for patients with cancer pain. However, more research, including well-designed, rigorous, and larger clinical trials, are necessary to address these issues.
Subject(s)
Neoplasms/complications , Pain/drug therapy , Pain/etiology , Phytotherapy/methods , Plant Preparations/therapeutic use , Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Pain MeasurementABSTRACT
The effectiveness of traditional herbal medicine (THM) as treatment for nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) has not been clearly demonstrated. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of THM as adjunctive therapies for NPC using the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Five electronic databases, including English and Chinese databases, were systematically searched up to February 2014. All RCTs involving traditional herbal medicine in combination with conventional cancer therapy for NPC were included. Twenty-two RCTs involving 2,298 NPC patients were systematically reviewed. Of these 22 studies, 15 on 1482 patients reported a significant increase in the number surviving patients with survivals of more than 1, 3, or 5 years. Seven studies on 595 patients reported a significant increase in immediate tumor response, and three studies on 505 patients reported a significant decrease in distant metastasis. This meta-analysis of 22 studies suggests that THM combined with conventional therapy can provide an effective adjunctive therapy for NPC. More research and well-designed, rigorous, large clinical trials are required to address these issues.
Subject(s)
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use , Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods , Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms/drug therapy , HumansABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of acupuncture as complementary therapy for gouty arthritis from randomized controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS: Five electronic databases, including English and Chinese, were systematically searched until August 2012. All RCTs involving acupuncture in combination with conventional therapy for gouty arthritis were included. RESULTS: Ten RCTs involving 852 gouty arthritis patients were systematically reviewed. Among them six studies of 512 patients reported a significant decrease in uric acid in the treatment group compared with a control group, while two studies of 120 patients reported no significant decrease in uric acid in the treatment group compared with the control group. The remaining four studies of 380 patients reported a significant decrease in visual analogue scale score in the treatment group. CONCLUSION: The results of the studies included here suggest that acupuncture is efficacious as complementary therapy for gouty arthritis patients. More research and well-designed, rigorous and large clinical trials are necessary to address these issues.
