Electroacupuncture for the treatment of cancer pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

Frontiers in Pain Research

Pain Research

Liqun Jia¹  Weizhen Wu²  Yuehan Ren²  Yi Yuan²  Junning Zhang³ 

[1] Department of Oncology of Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China;Graduate School, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China;Graduate School, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China;Department of Oncology of Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China;

关键词: electroacupuncture;    cancer pain;    systematic review;    complementary and alternative medicine;    meta-analysis;    rct;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpain.2023.1186506

 received in 2023-03-14, accepted in 2023-04-17,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

ObjectiveThis paper aims to review the current evidence on electroacupuncture as an effective and safe therapy for cancer pain management.MethodsFive databases were searched from their inception through November 11, 2022. Only the randomized controlled trials that meet the eligibility criteria were finally included in the study. Literature screening and data extraction were performed independently by two reviewers, and RevMan 5.3 used for meta-analysis.ResultsA total of 17 RCTs met our inclusion criteria. We used 8 indicators to estimate the meta-analysis results, most of which proved statistically significant, including VAS scores, NRS scores, and KPS scores. To be specific, VAS scores (MD = −1.41, 95% CI: −2.42 to −0.41, P = 0.006) and NRS scores (MD = −1.19, 95% CI: −1.72 to −0.66, P < 0.0001) were significantly lower in the treatment group compared to the control group. The treatment group's KPS scores (MD = 5.48, 95% CI: 3.27 to 7.69, P < 0.00001) were higher than those of the control group. Also, in the treatment group, the number of burst pain (MD = −2.66, 95% CI: −3.32 to −1.99, P < 0.00001) and side effect rates (RR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.39 to 0.67, P < 0.00001) greatly reduced, while the response rate (RR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.09 to 1.26, P < 0.0001) significantly increased compared to the control group.ConclusionThis study demonstrates the advantages of electroacupuncture in the treatment of cancer pain. Meanwhile, rigorous RCTs should be designed and conducted in the future to further demonstrate the exact efficacy of electroacupuncture.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42022376148.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
© 2023 Zhang, Wu, Ren, Yuan and Jia.