Current status of outcome reporting in randomized controlled trials of traditional Chinese medicine for mammary gland hyperplasia: A systematic review

Abstract

Objective: To assess outcome indicators in clinical trials and provide a reference for establishing a core outcome set to treat hyperplasia of mammary gland (HMG) with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Methods: Eight online databases were searched from their inception to December 31, 2022, to assess outcomes reported in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of HMG treated with TCM. The quality of the included studies was assessed according to the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool. All outcomes were extracted, classified, and described. Results: A total of 8249 articles were initially retrieved. Of these, 70 articles were eligible and involved 10 618 participants with HMG. A total of 17 outcome indicators with a frequency of 271 times were involved and were collected according to six outcome domains. Conclusions: The core outcomes of RCTs of HMG treated with TCM are large and divergent. There are problems in evaluation standards, primary and secondary outcomes, TCM characteristic indicators, long-term prognosis, and standardization of reporting. It is recommended to strengthen the trial design and actively construct the core outcome sets with TCM characteristics for HMG.

Keywords

• Traditional Chinese medicine
• Hyperplasia of mammary glands
• Randomized controlled trials
• Outcome indicator
• Core outcome set