# Asparagusofficinalis potentially supports cancer care: a systematic review of randomized and non-randomized clinical studies

## TL;DR

Asparagus officinalis may help improve cancer treatment outcomes when used alongside conventional therapies, though more research is needed.

## Contribution

This systematic review evaluates the potential of Asparagus officinalis as a complementary therapy in cancer care.

## Key findings

- A. officinalis combined with chemotherapy improved survival and quality of life in some studies.
- It also showed potential in improving immune function and reducing treatment side effects.
- However, evidence certainty is low due to limited and heterogeneous studies.

## Abstract

To evaluate effectiveness and safety of Asparagus officinalis in cancer care.

PubMed, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus and four Chinese databases were searched up to January 9, 2025. Randomized and non-randomized clinical studies, cohort studies, or case-control studies were included for cancer patients using A. officinalis products alone or combined with conventional treatments. Primary outcomes were survival, response rates, and quality of life (QoL). GRADE approach was used to assess evidence certainty.

Ten studies (seven randomized trials, two non-randomized studies, one cohort study) with 8,898 participants were included. Compared to chemotherapy alone, A. officinalis granules plus chemotherapy improved survival-based effective rate [two studies, risk ratio (RR) 1.55, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.24, 1.92), low certainty] and QoL-based effective rate [three studies, RR 1.76, 95% CI (1.47, 2.11), low certainty]. The objective response rate (ORR) was improved when chemotherapy was combined with either A. officinalis granules or syrup [four studies, RR 1.88, 95% CI (1.43, 2.48), low certainty]. A. officinalis products (syrup, granules or oral liquid) plus chemotherapy or radiotherapy, all found to have effects in improving immune function as CD4 and CD4/CD8. A. officinalis oral liquid combined with chemotherapy was associated with fewer adverse events, nausea and vomiting, and myelosuppression.

A. officinalis products may improve survival, ORR, QoL and immune function as a complementary add-on therapy. Despite the limited number of studies and low certainty of evidence, the observed signals indicate a need for verification in well-designed, cancer-type–specific trials, particularly in lung cancer, using standardized, well-characterized extracts to establish definitive clinical applications and dosing protocols.

The review protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO, CRD42025646003).