Currently submitted to: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Feb 25, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Mar 3, 2026 - Apr 28, 2026
(currently open for review)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Integrative Traditional East Asian Medicine-Based Adjunctive Therapies for Prostate Cancer Patients Undergoing Standard Cancer Treatment: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
ABSTRACT
Background:
Prostate cancer treatment increasingly emphasizes quality-of-life maintenance alongside oncologic control. Integrative Traditional East Asian medicine, including Traditional Chinese Medicine, Traditional Korean Medicine, and Kampo medicine, has been used as an adjunctive approach for symptom management during cancer treatment. However, evidence regarding its effectiveness and safety across different disease stages remains heterogeneous and has not been comprehensively synthesized.
Objective:
This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate the clinical effectiveness, safety, and quality-of-life benefits of TEAM-based adjunctive therapies combined with standard conventional treatments in patients with prostate cancer.
Methods:
Randomized controlled trials will be identified through comprehensive multilingual searches of PubMed, EMBASE, CNKI, OASIS, RISS, and other databases from inception to January 2026. Two reviewers will independently screen studies, extract data, and assess risk of bias using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Primary outcomes will include changes in prostate-specific antigen levels, symptom improvement, and survival outcomes. Subgroup analyses will be conducted according to disease stage (hormone-sensitive, castration-resistant, metastatic), treatment phase, and intervention type. Meta-analyses will be performed using RevMan 5.4, and the certainty of evidence will be assessed with the GRADE approach.
Results:
The study selection process will be illustrated using a PRISMA flow diagram. Where appropriate, pooled effect estimates will be presented using forest plots.
Conclusions:
This review will provide comprehensive evidence on the role of TEAM-based adjunctive therapies in prostate cancer care across disease stages and will inform the development of integrative oncology guidelines. Clinical Trial: PROSPERO CRD420251275137
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