Table 1. Clinical information from the eligible trials in the meta-analysis.
| Included studies | Tumor stage | Patients Con/Exp | Age (year) Control vs Experimental | Intervening methods | Dosage of Huaier granules | Duration of treatments | Parameter types |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chen QJ 2004 | II-III | 16/22 | 34–48 (range), 43 (median) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 1 month/course, 2 courses. | ①, ③ |
| Chen Y 2020 | I-IV | 50/50 | 61.42 ± 5.12 vs 61.50 ± 5.16 (mean) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 2 weeks for a course, 3 courses. | ①, ③ |
| Dai YG 2007 | II-III | 34/34 | 32–54 vs 29–55 (range) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 2-3 months | ⑤ |
| Guo FD 2014 | Not provided | 25/25 | 62.1 ± 1.8 vs 59.2 ± 2.3 (mean) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 1 month | ② |
| Han SJ 2017 | I-III | 33/33 | 49.3 ± 2.1 vs 48.6 ± 2.3 (mean) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 3 weeks for a course, 3 courses. | ②, ③, ⑤ |
| Lei SS 2016 | I-III | 39/56 | Not provided | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 1.5 years | ④, ⑤ |
| Liang YQ 2015 | IV | 50/48 | 35–69 vs 33–68 (range) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 6 months | ②, ③, ⑤ |
| Li ZH 2016 | I-III | 219/139 | 47.5 ± 9.1 vs 47.2 ± 8.8 (mean) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 5 months for a course, 2 courses. | ② |
| Lu MQ2017 | I-IV | 45/45 | 49.8 ± 8.4 vs 48.5 ± 11.6 (mean) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 3 weeks for a course, 2 courses. | ④,⑤ |
| Lu Y 2009 | I-IV | 15/15 | 53.2 vs 51.7 (median) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 3 weeks for a course, 2 courses. | ③, ④, ⑤ |
| Qun SX 2020 | Not provided | 30/35 | Not provided | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 2 years | ④, ⑤ |
| Ren XB 2018 | I-III | 42/42 | 54.83 ± 2.44 vs 54.12 ± 2.37 (mean) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 3 weeks | ①, ②, ④ |
| Shan CY 2018 | I-III | 46/46 | 53.54 ± 5.58 vs 53.48 ± 5.62 (mean) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 3 weeks for a course, 6 courses. | ②,③ |
| Tan ZD 2017 | I-III | 30/31 | 52.1 ± 5.7 vs 51.2 ± 6.1 (mean) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | Not provided | ②, ③, ④ |
| Tang Y 2006 | I-III | 25/25 | Not provided | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 1 month | ⑤ |
| Wang MH 2019 | I-III | 100/101 | Not provided | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 6-18 months | ② |
| Wang W 2019 | I-III | 48/48 | 42.1 ± 4.5 vs 40.9 ± 4.0 (mean) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 6 months | ③ |
| Wu YB 2009 | IV | 28/24 | 41–74 (range), 49 (mean) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 3 months | ② |
| Xiong Y 2015 | I-III | 42/50 | 19–65 vs 20–67 (range) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 3 weeks for a course, 6 courses. | ②, ⑤ |
| Xu F 2009 | II-III | 28/32 | 29–65 vs 27–64 (range) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | Not provided | ⑤ |
| Yang Z2017 | I-II | 30/30 | 55.3 ± 9.6 vs 54.9 ± 8.9 (mean) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 3 weeks for a course, 2 courses. | ④, ⑤ |
| Yin X 2013 | Not provided | 20/20 | 65 ± 1.5 vs 65.5 ± 1.5 (mean) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 1 month | ② |
| Zhang JG 2014 | I-III | 32/32 | 27–70 vs 28–72 (range) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 6 months | ② |
| Zhang Y 2019 | Not provided | 144/140 | 22–77 vs 24–80 (range) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 6 months | ② |
| Zhao ZW 2020 | III-IV | 31/31 | 42.4 ± 1.6 vs 42.8 ± 1.3 (mean) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 3 weeks | ①, ⑤ |
| Zhong SW 2003 | IV | 33/29 | 41–74(range), 49 (median) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 3 months | ② |
| Zhou P 2012 | I-III | 74/70 | 65–85 vs 65–79 (range) | CT vs CT+Huaier granules (OA) | 20g/time, 3 times /day | 6 months | ②, ③ |
Notes: Control group: conventional treatments alone group; Experimental group: Conventional treatments and Huaier Granule combined group. ①: Overall response rate and Disease control rate; ②: Overall survival or disease-free survival; ③: adverse events; ④: quality of life; ⑤: Immune function index.
Abbreviations: CT: conventional treatments; OA: Oral administration.