Effectiveness of Chinese Herbal Medicine as a Complementary Treatment for Neutropenia Prevention and Immunity Modulation During Chemotherapy in Patients With Breast Cancer: Protocol for a Real-World Pragmatic Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background In recent years, advancements in cancer treatment have enabled cancer cell inhibition, leading to improved patient outcomes. However, the side effects of chemotherapy, especially leukopenia, impact patients’ ability to tolerate their treatments and affect their quality of life. Traditional Chinese medicine is thought to provide complementary cancer treatment to improve the quality of life and prolong survival time among patients with cancer. Objective This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) as a complementary treatment for neutropenia prevention and immunity modulation during chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer. Methods We will conduct a real-world pragmatic clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of CHM as a supplementary therapy to prevent neutropenia in patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Patients will be classified into CHM or non-CHM groups based on whether they received CHM during chemotherapy. Using generalized estimating equations or repeated measures ANOVA, we will assess differences in white blood cell counts, absolute neutrophil counts, immune cells, and programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) expression levels between the 2 groups. Results This study was approved by the research ethics committee of Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital (IRB 110-168-A). The enrollment process began in September 2021 and will stop in December 2024. A total of 140 patients will be recruited. Data cleaning and analysis are expected to finish in the middle of 2025. Conclusions Traditional Chinese medicine is the most commonly used complementary medicine, and it has been reported to significantly alleviate chemotherapy-related side effects. This study’s findings may contribute to developing effective interventions targeting chemotherapy-related neutropenia among patients with breast cancer in clinical practice. Trial Registration International Traditional Medicine Clinical Trial Registry ITMCTR2023000054; https://tinyurl.com/yc353hes International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/55662