Table 1.
Characteristics of the included studies.
| References; Country | Age | Cancer type and sample number | Chemotherapy regimen | Interventions | Placebo-controlled | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xia et al. (21) China |
Age between 18 and 70 | Locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (70) |
Cisplatin | Oral probiotic cocktail containing L. plantarum MH-301, B. animalis subsp. Lactis LPL-RH, L. rhamnosus LGG-18, and L. acidophilus, or placebo | Yes | 3; 4 |
| Tian et al. (12) China |
Age between 18 and 80 | Lung cancer (41) |
Platinum-based combination chemotherapy | Three types of Clostridium butyricum | Yes | 1; 2 |
| Zaharuddin et al. (9) Malaysia |
Adult patient (≥ 18 years) | Colorectal cancer (14) |
Combination of capecitabine and oxaliplatin | The probiotic combination (six viable microorganisms of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria strains) | Yes | 1 |
| Jiang et al. (65) China |
The probiotic group (51.69 ± 9.79); the control group (50.40 ± 10.25) | Advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (93) |
Cisplatin | The probiotic combination (Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus lactis, and Enterococcus faecium) | Yes | 3; 4 |
| Motoori et al. (66) Sweden |
The study group (62.7 ± 8.4); the control group (65.0 ± 6.7) | Advanced esophageal cancer (61) |
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy consisted of docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (DCF therapy) | Yakult BL Seichoyaku (Bifidobacterium breve strain Yakult, Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota, and galacto-oligosaccharides) or other preparations of Biofermin | No | 1; 2; 3; 4 |
| Atul et al. (13) India |
The study group (52.35 ± 9.433); the control group (52.35 ± 9.433) | Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (188) |
Cisplatin | The Lactobacillus brevis CD2 | Yes | 3; 4 |
| Chitapanarux et al. (11) Thailand |
Age between 18 and 65 | Locally advanced cervical cancer (63) |
Cisplatin | The probiotic combination (lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacterium bifidum) | Yes | 2 |
| Naito et al. (67) Japan |
88 patients below the age of 70 years, and 94 patients over the age of 70 years | Superficial bladder cancer (202) |
Epirubicin | Oral probiotics containing Lactobacillus casei | No | 2 |
| De Sanctis et al. (68) Italy |
The probiotic group at the age from 34 to 74, and the control group at the age from 39 to 77 | Head and neck cancer (68) |
Cisplatinum and cetuximab | The Lactobacillus brevis CD2 lozenges | No | 4 |
| Osterlund et al. (8) Sweden |
Age between 31 and 75 | Colorectal cancer (148) |
Mayo regimen or the simplified de Gramont regimen. | Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG | No | 4 |
| Mego et al. (10) Slovakia |
Age between 42 and 81 | Colorectal cancer (46) |
Cetuximab and irinotecan | 10 of lyophilized probiotic strains | Yes | 1; 2 |
| Limaye et al. (69) America |
Age between 18 and 66 | Locally advanced head and neck cancer (19) |
TPF (docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil) or PF (cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil) | Oral rinse AG013 composed of recombinant Lactococcus lacti | Yes | 1; 4 |
Outcomes: (1) Incidence of diarrhea at all grades (≥ 1 grade); (2) Incidence of severe diarrhea (≥ 2 grade); (3) Incidence of oral mucositis at all grades (≥ 1 grade); (4) Incidence of severe oral mucositis (≥ 3 grade).