title: Meta-Analysis of Oxaliplatin-Based Chemotherapy Combined With Traditional Medicines for Colorectal Cancer: Contributions of Specific Plants to Tumor Response.
abstract: This meta-analysis evaluates the clinical evidence for the addition of traditional medicines (TMs) to oxaliplatin-based regimens for colorectal cancer (CRC) in terms of tumor response rate (TRR). Eight electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials of oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy combined with TMs compared to the same oxaliplatin-based regimen. Data on TRR from 42 randomized controlled trials were analyzed using Review Manager 5.1. Studies were conducted in China or Japan. Publication bias was not evident. The meta-analyses suggest that the combination of the TMs with oxaliplatin-based regimens increased TRR in the palliative treatment of CRC (risk ratio [RR] 1.31 [1.20-1.42], I(2) = 0%). Benefits were evident for both injection products (RR 1.36 [1.18-1.57], I(2) = 0%) and orally administered TMs (RR 1.27 [1.15-1.41], I(2) = 0%). Further sensitivity analysis of specific plant-based TMs found that Paeonia, Curcuma, and Sophora produced consistently higher contributions to the RR results. Compounds in each of these TMs have shown growth-inhibitory effects in CRC cell-line studies. Specific combinations of TMs appeared to produce higher contributions to TRR than the TMs individually. Notable among these was the combination of Hedyotis, Astragalus, and Scutellaria.
authors.affiliation: The China-Australia International Research Centre for Chinese Medicine, School of Health Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Menghua
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: The China-Australia International Research Centre for Chinese Medicine, School of Health Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Brian H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: May
authors.affiliation: The China-Australia International Research Centre for Chinese Medicine, School of Health Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Iris W
authors.initials: IW
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: The China-Australia International Research Centre for Chinese Medicine, School of Health Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, and The Second Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Charlie C L
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: The China-Australia International Research Centre for Chinese Medicine, School of Health Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia tony.zhang@rmit.edu.au.
authors.forename: Anthony L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002681:China; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008519:Medicine, Traditional / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D009944:Organoplatinum Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077150:Oxaliplatin; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D009944:Organoplatinum Compounds; D000077150:Oxaliplatin
keywords: colorectal cancer; meta-analysis; oxaliplatin; synergistic action; traditional medicine; tumor response