Chinese botanical drugs for mitigating epidermal growth factor receptor-targeted therapy-associated cutaneous...

Therapies targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) cause a spectrum of cutaneous toxicities that can compromise quality of life, treatment adherence, and cancer-treatment continuity. Persistent and phenotype-specific toxicities create a need for evidence-based adjunctive interventions.

Our aim was to appraise product-specific clinical and mechanistic evidence for Chinese botanical drugs in EGFR-targeted therapy-associated cutaneous toxicity and to define priorities for translational development.

We conducted a structured narrative search of PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, and Scopus from inception to 7 May 2026. Evidence was classified by the highest supporting design, from controlled human studies to indirect non-EGFR or computational evidence. We appraised directness, internal validity, product characterisation, outcome measurement, precision, and reporting completeness.

Direct human evidence for defined Chinese botanical drugs remains insufficient to establish clinical efficacy. Available studies are limited by small samples, heterogeneous products, variable background care, and incomplete reporting. EGFR-specific experimental studies provide low-certainty support for barrier injury, inflammatory amplification, and phenotype-relevant mechanisms. Evidence from non-EGFR models, isolated metabolites, and network analysis remains hypothesis-generating.

Defined Chinese botanical drugs should be evaluated only as adjuncts to standard supportive care. Progress will require standardised products, phenotype-stratified trials, prespecified patient-relevant and mechanistic outcomes, and complete reporting of safety and anticancer-treatment continuity.