Efficacy and safety of Xihuang pill/capsule as adjuvant therapy for lung cancer: A systematic review and...

Xihuang Pill/Capsule is a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat cancers, such as breast and lung cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the safety of Xihuang Pill/Capsule and its effect as an adjuvant treatment for lung cancer. A systematic literature search of the Wanfang, VIP, CNKI, Sinomed, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and MEDLINE Complete databases was performed to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of Xihuang Pill/Capsule for the adjuvant treatment of lung cancer. Data from the RCTs meeting the inclusion criteria were extracted, assessed for quality using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool, and statistically analyzed using RevMan version 5.4 software. A total of 23 RCTs (1814 participants) were included. The primary outcomes revealed that Xihuang Pill/Capsule combined with other therapies may increase the objective response rate (ORR; risk ratio [RR] =1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.33, 1.58], P < 0.00001) and disease control rate (DCR; RR = 1.18, 95% CI [1.12, 1.23], P < 0.00001), and subgroup analyses comparing the ORR and DCR of the different medication forms supported these findings. As secondary outcomes, tumor markers, Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS), T-cell subsets, and most adverse events improved after using Xihuang Pill/Capsule. Based on existing clinical evidence, Xihuang Pill/Capsule combined with conventional therapies improves tumor prognosis, patients' quality of life, and immune function in lung cancer and alleviates some adverse events associated with other antitumor therapies.