Efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine decoctions in breast cancer treatment: a network meta-analysis
In brief
YHHYT herbal decoction raises breast-cancer objective response about fivefold
In a network meta-analysis of 68 randomized trials involving 4,708 women, the YHHYT decoction increased the objective response rate roughly five times versus standard care, while the BZT formula improved disease-control rates and cut chemotherapy-induced nausea by three quarters. Immune balance (CD4+/CD8+ ratio) also improved, but the findings rely on heterogeneous trials and need confirmation in larger, high-quality studies.
- Journal
- Frontiers in oncology (Q2)
- Published
- 8 July 2026
- Study design
- Systematic review / meta-analysis of RCTs
- Evidence level
- Level 1, High (CEBM 1a)
- Authors
- Haidi Han, Yanan Du, Juncai Li, Yanjing Dong, Jingyu Zhu, Haixia Wang
- PMID
- 42488093
- DOI
- 10.3389/fonc.2026.1785268
Why clinicians should know about it
- Picked for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (top studies of the week, 26 July 2026): TCM decoctions in breast cancer meta-analysis
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor among women globally. While traditional treatments are effective, they are associated with numerous side effects. In recent years, traditional Chinese herbal decoctions have garnered attention as adjunctive therapeutic approaches. This study employs a network meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of various Chinese herbal decoctions in breast cancer treatment. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted across PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, Wan fang, and VIP databases for randomized controlled trials comparing the efficacy and safety of different Chinese herbal decoctions in breast cancer patients, up to 20 December 2025. Quality assessment was performed using the Risk of Bias 2.0 tool. Network meta-analysis was conducted using R 4.5.1. RESULTS: A total of 68 articles involving 4,708 patients were included, meta-analysis results suggest that compared with the control group, for objective response rate YHHYT [OR = 4.76, 95%CrI (1.25, 25)] ranked first in cumulative probability (81.42%). Regarding disease control rate, BZT demonstrated an [OR = 5.77, 95%CrI (1.59, 29)] and ranked first in cumulative probability (74.66%). For CD4+/CD8+, FJHQT [MD= MD = 0.69, 95%CrI (0.2, 1.17)] achieved an 88.00% cumulative probability ranking, finally, regarding nausea and vomiting relief BZT [OR = 0.25, 95%CrI (0.1, 0.57)] ranked first in cumulative probability (75.67%). CONCLUSIONS: This study employed a network meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of multiple Chinese herbal decoctions in breast cancer treatment. Results demonstrated that these decoctions exhibited significant therapeutic effects in enhancing target response rates, disease control rates, and immune function (CD4+/CD8+ ratio) among breast cancer patients, while also alleviating chemotherapy side effects such as nausea and vomiting. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420261279914, identifier CRD420261279914.
Abstract as published, via PubMed.
For healthcare professionals. The summary is generated by AI from the published abstract, and the evidence level is assigned automatically from the study design on the Oxford CEBM hierarchy. Neither is medical advice. Read the full paper before changing practice.