Meta-analysis of the effectiveness of Chinese and Western integrative medicine on medium and advanced lung cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To summarize the effectiveness of Chinese and Western integrative medicine in treating medium and advanced lung cancer, and to provide guidelines for clinical application.


METHODS
For this metaanalysis, a comparative search of Chinese medicine data in Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Chinese BioMedical Literature Database (CBM) was undertaken to identify articles related to randomized comparative research of Chinese and Western integrative medicine in treating medium and advanced lung cancer between 1996 to 2006. Quality of life (QOL) was estimated using RevMan 4.2 software for data processing, adopting the odd ratio (OR) and the 95% confidence interval (CI).


RESULTS
Through meta-analysis of 10 qualified articles, the results were as follows: the merging effectiveness of QOL [OR=3.80, 95% CI (2.65, 5.47)]; the rate of survival [OR=3.44, 95% CI (2.04, 5.80)]; the tumor response rate [OR=1.88, 95% CI (1.37, 2.58)]; the tumor developing rate [OR=0.33, 95% CI (0.23, 0.48)]. Significant differences existed between the Chinese and Western integrative medicine treatment group and the Western treatment group (P<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Chinese and Western integrative medicine treatment of medium and advanced lung cancer has shown to improve patients' QOL and survival rate; it also can control tumor development in the short term.
Institute of Medical Informatics, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Shuo
S
Yang
Meng
M
Cui
Hai-Yan
HY
Li
Ying-Kai
YK
Zhao
Yong-Hong
YH
Gao
Hai-Yan
HY
Zhu
D002277:Carcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D055048:Integrative Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000379:methods; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D017594:Publication Bias / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019366:Western World