Compound Kushen injection combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of gastric cancer: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

摘要

Objective: This study aims to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of compound kushen injection (CKI) in combination with chemotherapy in patients with gastric cancer (GC). Methods: A comprehensive electronic search was conducted by searching PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Chinese Biological Medical disc, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang databases (the last update January 20, 2018). All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of CKI plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone in GC patients were identified. The quality of each study was evaluated using the Jadad’s scale, and the meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.3 and STATA 14 software. Results: A total of nine studies on 688 cases were included in this study. The results showed that CKI combined with chemotherapy had a better effect on improving patients’ overall response rate (ORR) and life quality. The consequences of Egger’s and Begg’s tests showed there was no significant publication bias. Conclusion: The current evidence showed that CKI may enhance the clinical efficacy of chemotherapy, improve the quality of life and increase the safety in patients with gastric cancer.