SynthesisPloS one2013
The efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine as an adjunctive therapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 64 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
64 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 114 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Huisheng Oral Solution Adjunct With Platinum-Based Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2020Pooled it
- Oral administration of herbal medicines for radiation pneumonitis in lung cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2018Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine for cancer palliative care: overview of systematic reviews with meta-analyses.Scientific reports · 2015Pooled it
- The role of acupoint stimulation as an adjunct therapy for lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2013Pooled it
- Herbal Medicines for the Improvement of Immune Function in Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Integrative cancer therapiesPooled it
- Effects of Chinese Medicine as Adjunct Medication for Adjuvant Chemotherapy Treatments of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients.Scientific reports · 2017Trial
- Advancements in pharmaceutical research on traditional Chinese medicine-metal complexes.Journal of pharmaceutical analysis · 2026Review
- Nutraceutical Characterization, 3D Airway Tissue Metabolic Viability, and Cytotoxic Activity ofMedicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Article
- A Review of the Role of Zeqi Decoction in the Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2026Review
- Article
- Phytochemical synergies in BK002: advanced molecular docking insights for targeted prostate cancer therapy.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Review
- Cost analysis and cost-effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine in lung cancer: a scoping review.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Costs of traditional Chinese medicine treatment for inpatients with lung cancer in China: a national study.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2023Article
- Review: Mechanisms and perspective treatment of radioresistance in non-small cell lung cancer.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Review
- Treatment of Lung Cancer with Orally Administered Chinese Herbal Medicine: An Evidence Map between 1970-2020.Chinese journal of integrative medicine · 2022Review
- The efficacy and safety of Zengxiao Jiandu decoction combined with definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy for unresectable locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.Annals of translational medicine · 2022Article
- Immortal Time Bias-Corrected Effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (C-EVID): A Prospective Cohort Study.Frontiers in oncology · 2022Article
- Network pharmacology-based and clinically relevant prediction of active ingredients and potential targets of Chinese herbs on stage IV lung adenocarcinoma patients.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2021Article
4 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Many published studies reflect the growing application of complementary and alternative medicine, particularly Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) use in combination with conventional cancer therapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but its efficacy remains largely unexplored. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of CHM combined with conventional chemotherapy (CT) in the treatment of advanced NSCLC. Publications in 11 electronic databases were extensively searched, and 24 trials were included for analysis. A sum of 2,109 patients was enrolled in these studies, at which 1,064 patients participated in CT combined CHM and 1,039 in CT (six patients dropped out and were not reported the group enrolled). Compared to using CT alone, CHM combined with CT significantly increase one-year survival rate (RR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.15-1.60, p = 0.0003). Besides, the combined therapy significantly increased immediate tumor response (RR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.19-1.56, p<1.0E-5) and improved Karnofsky performance score (KPS) (RR = 2.90, 95% CI = 1.62-5.18, p = 0.0003). Combined therapy remarkably reduced the nausea and vomiting at toxicity grade of III-IV (RR = 0.24, 95% CI = 0.12-0.50, p = 0.0001) and prevented the decline of hemoglobin and platelet in patients under CT at toxicity grade of I-IV (RR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.51-0.80, p<0.0001). Moreover, the herbs that are frequently used in NSCLC patients were identified. This systematic review suggests that CHM as an adjuvant therapy can reduce CT toxicity, prolong survival rate, enhance immediate tumor response, and improve KPS in advanced NSCLC patients. However, due to the lack of large-scale randomized clinical trials in the included studies, further larger scale trials are needed.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.