Traditional herbal medicine as adjunctive therapy for breast cancer: A systematic review.

Woojin Kim, Won-Bock Lee, Jung-Woo Lee, Byung-Il Min, Sun Kyung Baek, Hyang Sook Lee, Seung-Hun Cho

Journal: Complementary therapies in medicine 2016;23(4):626-32

PMID: 26275657

Full Text on Elsevier Science View on PubMed

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.

Address: Department of East-West Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, South Korea.; Department of East-West Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, South Korea; Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, South Korea.; Department of Internal Medicine, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Seoul 130-701, South Korea.; Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea.; Hospital of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, #1 Heogi Dong, Dongdaemun-Gu, Seoul 130-701, South Korea. Electronic address: [email protected].

DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2015.03.011

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MeSH Terms: Antineoplastic Agents, Breast Neoplasms, Combined Modality Therapy, Drugs, Chinese Herbal, Female, Humans, Medicine, East Asian Traditional, Phytotherapy, Quality of Life