[Qualitative evaluation on literatures related with treatment of lung cancer with combined use of chemotherapy and Chinese herbs].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the quality of clinical literatures related with treatment of lung cancer with combined use of chemotherapy and Chinese herbs in respect of the scientific research design adapted.


METHODS
According to the "Scale for Quality and Information Evaluation of TCM Clinical Research Literature" formulated by the group of methodology of this article, the literatures related with lung cancer published between 1979 to 2000 were evaluated in respect of the randomization and controlling of the trial.


RESULTS
The method of randomization was not described in 93.7% of the literatures; problems or mistakes of randomized allocation existed in 2.5%, with no record about the state of dropped out or absconded cases in follow-up study in 29.1%, also no record about case screening was found in all the literatures. Besides, the blind trial method was seldom used, also some problems of key links concerning samples homogeneity and conclusion reasoning presented. All these bugs could influence quality of the randomized control trial.


CONCLUSIONS
Randomized control trial has been applied progressively in TCM clinical researches of lung cancer, however, there are still problems such as insufficiency of samples, and improving of the reliability and quality of the trial is needed.
Liu
Yu-long
YL
The Fourth Department of Internal Medicine, the Second Clinical College of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510120. dragonyuliu@163.com
Xu
Kai
K
Bai
Jian-ping
JP
Li
Liu-ning
LN
Yang
Xiao-bo
XB
D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D012107:Research Design
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal