For many women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, the use of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs--either alone or with chemotherapy--may help guard bone marrow and immune system, while improving overall quality of life. That's the conclusion of the Cochrane Systematic Review, a study of the use of Chinese medicine to determine safety and effectiveness in breast cancer patients.
The review looked at seven randomized studies involving 542 breast cancer patients. Researchers at the Chinese Cochrane Centre in Chengdu, China, found that Chinese medicinal herb treatments showed some evidence of reducing side effects, and caused no harm to patients who were treated with them. However, the study's authors cautioned that the studies weren't ideally designed, and more research was needed before a clear role for traditional Chinese medicine in breast cancer treatment could be established.
