Traditional Chinese medicine for non-small cell lung carcinoma: An evidence mapping

Although many systematic reviews and meta-analyses have explored Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), uncertainty remains about the pooled efficacy, safety, and methodological quality of these reviews and the interventions they assessed. This study aimed to address this gap by analyzing TCM treatments for NSCLC using evidence mapping.

A comprehensive search across six databases identified relevant systematic reviews and meta-analyses up to August 2025. The AMSTAR-2 tool was used to assess methodological quality, and Python was used for statistical analysis and visualization. Evidence maps were created to group reviews by treatment types (chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy and supportive care) and by specific outcomes such as objective response rate (ORR), leukopenia, and quality of life (QoL).

Out of 196 systematic reviews, 42 TCM interventions and 55 outcomes were identified. Most reviews examined TCM combined with chemotherapy, particularly Aidi, Kanglaite, and Shenqi Fuzheng injections. These combinations showed potential benefits in ORR, QoL, and chemotherapy-induced leukopenia. TCM combined with targeted therapies, such as EGFR-TKIs and Astragalus, also indicated benefits in progression-free survival and immune function. However, most systematic reviews were of "critically low" quality, limiting evidence reliability.

While TCM shows promise in enhancing conventional NSCLC treatments, high-quality, rigorously conducted randomised trials and reviews are essential to confirm these findings and guide clinical integration.