Table 3.
Integrative Herbal Medicine: Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neurotoxicity (WHO Grades III + IV).a
| Chemotherapy Regimen: No. of Studies (No. of Participants); No. of Studies With 0 Events in Both Groups | No. of Studies (No. of Participants) in Meta-Analysis | Effect Size RR [95% CI] I2 | Study ID (RCTs With 0 Events in Both Groups) |
|---|---|---|---|
| FOLFOX4: 13 (836); 6 | 7 (532) | 0.41 [0.16, 1.04] 0% | 13, 17, 29, 37, 42, 48, 60 (1, 3, 4, 12, 14, 27) |
| FOLFOX6: 1 (70); 1 | 0 (0) | Both groups = 0 events | (20) |
| mFOLFOX6: 2 (129); 1 | 1 (75) | 0.18 [0.04, 0.75]b | 50 (63) |
| FOLFOX: 1 (62); 0 | 1 (62) | 0.50 [0.05, 5.23] | 8 |
| Pool for similar chemotherapyc: 17 (1097); 8 | 9 (669) | 0.33 [0.16, 0.70]b 0% | 8, 13, 17, 29, 37, 42, 48, 50, 60 (1, 3, 4, 12, 14, 20, 27, 63) |
| XELOX: 10 (490);74 | 3 (180) | 0.66 [0.18, 2.47] 0% | 10, 15, 45 (19, 25, 28, 51) |
| SOX: 2 (106); 0 | 2 (106) | 0.67 [0.11, 3.92] 0% | 6, 62 |
| XELIRI: 2 (66); 2 | 0 (0) | Both groups = 0 events | (5, 26) |
| Total pool: 31 (1759); 17 | 14 (955) | 0.42 [0.23, 0.77]b 0% | All above |
Abbreviations: WHO, World Health Organization; CI, confidence interval; RR, relative risk; RCT, randomized controlled trial.
a
All studies used oral herbal medicines combined with chemotherapy versus the same chemotherapy.
b
Statistically significant.
c
These chemotherapy regimens all used oxaliplatin, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) plus leucovorin (LV).