Evaluation of the effect of herbal agents as management of radiodermatitis in breast cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness of herbal agents in the prevention and therapy of radiodermatitis in breast cancer patients.

METHODS

Randomized controlled trials were searched from databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) to assess the effectiveness of herbal agents compared to a standard medication or placebo in prevention or treatment of radiodermatitis in breast cancer.

RESULTS

Data from 16 studies involving 1994 patients were included. This meta-analysis included 10 clinical trials of 562 breast cancer patients treated with calendula, silymarin, or aloe vera for the prevention of radiodermatitis. Silymarin showed positive effects in ameliorating the damage of radiodermatitis, whereas the efficacy of calendula and aloe vera in the treatment of radiodermatitis lacks sufficient evidence.

CONCLUSIONS

Herbal medicine may show therapeutic effects on radiodermatitis in breast cancer, but more comprehensive investigations and clinical trials are required in the future.