Three traditional Chinese patent medicines combined with transarterial chemoembolization for primary liver cancer: A systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis.

In 30 seconds

This systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis assessed three traditional Chinese patent medicines combined with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for primary liver cancer. It included 31 randomized controlled trials involving 2604 patients. Compared with TACE alone, all three combinations were associated with higher objective response rates: Compound Banmao Capsule had the highest estimate (OR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.08, 2.08), followed by Huaier Granule and Jinlong Capsule. Estimates for disease control rate favoured the combinations numerically, but their confidence intervals included no difference.

Key findings

• Compared with TACE alone, Compound Banmao Capsule was associated with higher objective response rate (OR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.08, 2.08).
• Huaier Granule (OR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.05, 2.05) and Jinlong Capsule (OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.65) also had higher objective response rate estimates than TACE alone.
• Disease control rate estimates favoured the combinations, but confidence intervals included no difference: Compound Banmao Capsule (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 0.76, 1.93), Jinlong Capsule (OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.85, 1.59), and Huaier Granule (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 0.66, 1.91).

Why it matters

The analysis compares several adjunctive medicines against TACE and suggests that each may improve objective response, with the largest estimate for Compound Banmao Capsule. The disease-control findings are less conclusive. These results may inform interpretation of the evidence for adjunctive therapies, while the comparative rankings should be considered alongside the uncertainty in the estimates.

What to keep in mind

The findings synthesize randomized trials, but the abstract does not report trial-level quality or other details needed to assess the certainty of the pooled estimates.