Acupuncture for cancer-related fatigue: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials

Posadzki, Paul; Moon, Tae-Woong; Choi, Tae‐Young; Park, Tae‐Yong; Lee, Myeong Soo; Ernst, Edzard

doi:10.1007/s00520-013-1765-z

Cited by 60 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…27,28 Risk of bias assessment has been completed elsewhere for these trials. [15][16][17] Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome (Domain 1)…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…13,14 There is a small but growing body of research examining the feasibility of acupuncture in the management of cancer fatigue and associated features. 15,16 A recent meta-analysis found a significant difference between acupuncture and usual care but no significant difference between acupuncture and sham or waitlist despite a trend in favor of acupuncture. 17 These trials applied acupuncture at different stages of the cancer trajectory, and all used different acupuncture interventions with varied rationale, techniques, and dosage.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Defining the Quality of Acupuncture

et al. 2015

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Background. The quality and dose of acupuncture used in a clinical trial affects the outcome, as with the quality and dose of any intervention. The dose of acupuncture treatment may be characterized by the frequency of treatment, needle type and depth, length of needle retention, point selection, and combination. The dose in trials of acupuncture has at times been described as low or inappropriate but is seldom assessed in systematic reviews of acupuncture trials. This article examines the research evaluating acupuncture for cancer-related fatigue to determine what characteristics of treatment may contribute to a quality acupuncture intervention. Methodology. English and Chinese language databases were searched from inception to December 2013 for randomized controlled trials of acupuncture for the treatment of cancer-related fatigue. Assessment of the quality of the acupuncture intervention was undertaken using the domains and items from the NICMAN framework. Results. Seven studies with a total of 690 patients were included. Four of the studies were designed as feasibility or pilot studies, and the other 3 studies were described as "effectiveness" trials. The treatment paradigm for the active intervention was based on traditional Chinese medicine in all studies, yet few of the studies were explicit as to how the active intervention was justified within a traditional Chinese medicine paradigm. Acupuncture point prescriptions were developed by a small consensus panel or based on typical points and/or "clinical experience." No discussion of traditional Chinese medicine theory or literature review was reported in any studies. Acupuncture point location was adequately described in 4 of the 7 studies. Frequency of treatment was twice per week in 2 studies; all others were once per week. Two studies did not apply needle manipulation or stimulation, and no justification was given. Conclusion. The 7 trials reviewed meet some criteria for a quality acupuncture intervention. However, frequently elements of the intervention were not addressed, and it is possible that the dosage trialed was suboptimal. Systematic reviews of acupuncture are likely to continue to be inconclusive while comparisons are conducted of heterogeneous interventions without providing.

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“…27,28 Risk of bias assessment has been completed elsewhere for these trials. [15][16][17] Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome (Domain 1)…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Defining the Quality of Acupuncture

et al. 2015

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“…The remaining three SRs focused only on one particular form of acupuncture or related therapy, including TENS 13 , moxibustion 31 and acupoint injection 32 . Sixteen SRs summarised the evidence on a single outcome, including CRP 8,13,21,22,26,27 , fatigue 9,24,31 , hot flashes 17,18 , chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) 14,20 , hiccups 29 and irradiation-induced xerostomia 19 . The remaining seven SRs 6,7,12,20,28,30,32 reported evidence on a wide range of outcomes in the palliative care of patients with cancer.…”

Section: Sr Search and Screening Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Five SRs 7,9,24,28,31 summarised evidence on the effectiveness of acupuncture and related therapies in the treatment of CRF, and two conducted meta-analyses (Tables 5-7 and Appendix 4). Zeng and colleagues 28 assessed the effectiveness of acupuncture for CRF in various types of cancer patients (Table 5 and Appendix 4).…”

Section: Sr Search and Screening Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An overview of the existing SRs is needed to provide an update on all synthesised clinical evidence on acupuncture and related therapies for palliative cancer care 10 . Although such an overview 11 has already been conducted, its trustworthiness is limited for the following reasons: first, the search dates were limited to 2000 to 2011; hence, SRs published outside this time frame, including those published or updated since 8,9,[12][13][14] , were not included. Second, the search strategy of the previous overview did not include Chinese-language databases, which may have led to the omission of clinical evidence 15 .…”

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confidence: 99%

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Effectiveness of acupuncture and related therapies for palliative care of cancer: overview of systematic reviews

Chung

Hui

et al. 2017

Deutsche Zeitschrift für Akupunktur

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Acupuncture and related therapies such as moxibustion and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation are often used to manage cancer-related symptoms, but their effectiveness and safety are controversial. We conducted this overview to summarise the evidence on acupuncture for palliative care of cancer. Our systematic review synthesised the results from clinical trials of patients with any type of cancer. The methodological quality of the 23 systematic reviews in this overview, assessed using the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews Instrument, was found to be satisfactory. There is evidence for the therapeutic effects of acupuncture for the management of cancer-related fatigue, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and leucopenia in patients with cancer. There is conflicting evidence regarding the treatment of cancer-related pain, hot flashes and hiccups, and improving patients' quality of life. The available evidence is currently insufficient to support or refute the potential of acupuncture and related therapies in the management of xerostomia, dyspnea and lymphedema and in the improvement of psychological well-being. No serious adverse effects were reported in any study. Because acupuncture appears to be relatively safe, it could be considered as a complementary form of palliative care for cancer, especially for clinical problems for which conventional care options are limited.

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2023

The Greening of Pharmaceutical Engineering Volume 4

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Acupuncture for cancer-related fatigue: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials

Cited by 60 publications

References 19 publications

Defining the Quality of Acupuncture

Defining the Quality of Acupuncture

Effectiveness of acupuncture and related therapies for palliative care of cancer: overview of systematic reviews

References and Bibliography

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