Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of endocrine therapy-related osteoporosis among patients with breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of combining traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), specifically Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), with Western medicine (WM), compared to WM alone to treat breast cancer endocrine therapy-related osteoporosis (BCET-OP) by meta-analysis. Methods: Thirty-eight randomized controlled trials involving 2170 participants were analyzed. Eight databases were searched for articles published between inception and December 2023. Quality assessment was performed using the Risk of Bias 2 tool. Results: Significant increases were observed in the TCM-WM group in lumbar vertebrae bone mineral density (BMD) (P < .001, mean difference (MD) = 0.07, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.06 to 0.08), lumbar vertebrae T-score (P = .0005, MD = 0.21, 95%CI: 0.09 to 0.33) and collum femoris BMD (P = .01, MD = 0.10, 95%CI: 0.02 to 0.19). No significant difference was observed between the groups in the collum femoris T-score and estradiol levels. Bone gla-protein levels were significantly increased in the TCM-WM group (P = .0002, MD = 0.52, 95%CI: 0.25 to 0.79). Beta-CrossLaps decreased significantly in the TCM-WM group (P = .0008, MD = −0.10, 95%CI: −0.16 to −0.04). No significant difference was observed between the TCM-WM and WM groups in alkaline phosphatase, in procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide, and in the Kupperman index. The visual analog score (VAS) was decreased in the TCM-WM group compared to the WM group (P < .001, MD = −1.40, 95%CI: −1.94 to −0.87). No significant difference in adverse events was observed between the two groups. Conclusion: Combining CHM with WM in patients with BCET-OP significantly improved BMD, T-score, and certain bone turnover markers and reduced the VAS score, indicating potential benefits for bone health and related pain. Adverse event analysis revealed no differences between the groups, supporting the feasibility of the combination therapy. However, further research, particularly in diverse populations, is required.

Keywords

• Breast cancer
• Endocrine therapy
• Osteoporosis
• Traditional Chinese medicine
• Meta-analysis