Herbal medicines for anorexia in lung cancer: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Introduction: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Anorexia is the most common cause of malnutrition in lung cancer patients as well as an independent prognostic factor for cancer survival. This review will deal with the clinical evidence of herbal medicine use for reducing anorexia in lung cancer patients. Methods and analysis: Fourteen electronic databases will be searched from inception until October 2020. We will include randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing herbal medicines for anorexia in lung cancer patients. Interventions of any herbal medicines will be included. The methodological qualities of the included RCTs will be assessed via the Cochrane Collaboration tool for assessing the risk of bias. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) instrument will be used to evaluate the confidence in the cumulative evidence. Ethics and dissemination: This systematic literature review does not require an ethics review. This review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and disseminated electronically and in print. The review will be updated to inform and guide healthcare practices. Registration number: reviewregistry1038. Abbreviations: CENTRAL = Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CI = confidence interval, GRADE = Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation, MD = mean difference, PRISMA-P = Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols, QoL = quality of life, RCTs = randomized controlled trials, RevMan = Review Manager, RR = risk ratio, SM = standard mean difference, STRICTA = Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture.