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


CONCLUSIONS
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.
Department of East-West Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, South Korea.
Woojin
W
Kim
Department of East-West Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, South Korea.
Won-Bock
WB
Lee
Department of East-West Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, South Korea.
Jung-Woo
JW
Lee
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.
Byung-Il
BI
Min
Department of Internal Medicine, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Seoul 130-701, South Korea.
Sun Kyung
SK
Baek
Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea.
Hyang Sook
HS
Lee
Hospital of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, #1 Heogi Dong, Dongdaemun-Gu, Seoul 130-701, South Korea. Electronic address: chosh@khu.ac.kr.
Seung-Hun
SH
Cho
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008518:Medicine, East Asian Traditional; D008517:Phytotherapy; D011788:Quality of Life
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal
Alternative medicine; Breast cancer; QOL; Traditional herbal medicine