Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis: Effectiveness and Safety of Acupuncture as Adjuvant Therapy for Side Effects Management in Drug Therapy-Receiving Breast Cancer Patients

Wang, Ning; Tam, Chiwing; Tan, Hor‐Yue; Lu, Yuanjun; So, Tsz Him; Yu, Edwin Chau-Leung; Lao, Lixing; Feng, Yibin

doi:10.1155/2021/9949777

Cited by 5 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…1). 1‐134 Of those, 65 of 94 publications (69.1%) were included in the qualitative analysis because they reported at least 1 type of AE,…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some meta-analyses that focus on the effectiveness of acupuncture for treating symptoms in patients with breast cancer or pain in oncological patients do report AEs and conclude that acupuncture is a safe intervention. 25,31,32 A prospective, observational study on nononcological patients by Witt et al in 2009 indicated that acupuncture was a relatively safe treatment option 14 : common adverse effects were bleeding These were crossover trials that had insufficient reporting for inclusion in the meta-analysis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To our knowledge, this is the first meta‐analysis to comprehensively address the safety of acupuncture in oncological patients. Some meta‐analyses that focus on the effectiveness of acupuncture for treating symptoms in patients with breast cancer or pain in oncological patients do report AEs and conclude that acupuncture is a safe intervention 25,31,32 . A prospective, observational study on nononcological patients by Witt et al in 2009 indicated that acupuncture was a relatively safe treatment option 14 : common adverse effects were bleeding or hematoma (6.1% of patients; 58% of all adverse effects), pain (1.7% of patients), and vegetative symptoms (0.7% of patients).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…10 In some systematic reviews, no data concerning intervention-related AEs of acupuncture treatment are reported [16][17][18][19][20][21][22] or they are not systematically analyzed. [23][24][25][26][27][28][29] Only a few meta-analyses [30][31][32] deal with adverse effects/ AEs, and those are limited to patients who have breast cancer or a symptom like chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. 33 To examine the safety of acupuncture in cancer care, we systematically accessed and metaanalyzed the frequency of AEs of acupuncture in RCTs of patients with cancer and cancer survivors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Safety of acupuncture in oncology: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

Höxtermann

Haller

Aboudamaah

et al. 2022

Cancer

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Background Acupuncture is frequently used to treat the side effects of cancer treatment, but the safety of this intervention remains uncertain. The current meta‐analysis was conducted to assess the safety of acupuncture in oncological patients. Methods The PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Scopus databases were searched from their inception to August 7, 2020. Randomized controlled trials in oncological patients comparing invasive acupuncture with sham acupuncture, treatment as usual (TAU), or any other active control were eligible. Two reviewers independently extracted data on study characteristics and adverse events (AEs). Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. Results Of 4590 screened articles, 65 were included in the analyses. The authors observed that acupuncture was not associated an with increased risk of intervention‐related AEs, nonserious AEs, serious AEs, or dropout because of AEs compared with sham acupuncture and an active control. Compared with TAU, acupuncture was not associated with an increased risk of intervention‐related AEs, serious AEs, or drop out because of AEs but was associated with an increased risk for nonserious AEs (odds ratio, 3.94; 95% confidence interval, 1.16‐13.35; P = .03). However, the increased risk of nonserious AEs compared with TAU was not robust against selection bias. The meta‐analyses may have been biased because of the insufficient reporting of AEs in the original randomized controlled trials. Conclusions The current review indicates that acupuncture is as safe as sham acupuncture and active controls in oncological patients. The authors recommend researchers heed the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) safety and harm extension for reporting to capture the side effects and better investigate the risk profile of acupuncture in oncology. Lay Summary According to this analysis, acupuncture is a safe therapy for the treatment of patients with cancer. Acupuncture seems to be safe compared with sham acupuncture and active controls.

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“…1). 1‐134 Of those, 65 of 94 publications (69.1%) were included in the qualitative analysis because they reported at least 1 type of AE,…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Safety of acupuncture in oncology: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

Höxtermann

Haller

Aboudamaah

et al. 2022

Cancer

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“…Effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in the management of gastrointestinal disorder, neuropathy, arthralgia, joint symptoms, and cognitive impairment as side effects in breast cancer patients was recently showed by Chan and colleagues' meta-analysis [30].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Effectiveness and safety of acupuncture to treat sleep difficulties in women on hormone replacement therapy for the treatment of breast cancer: a randomized controlled trial

Mazzotti

Jacoangeli

Sommer

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Sleep difficulties are commonly reported by cancer patients as consequences of cancer or its treatments. Aim of this study was to measure the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture to treat sleep difficulties in breast cancer women on hormone replacement therapy. Methods: 58 breast cancer women were randomized to once weekly acupuncture session for 8 weeks (acupuncture group) or to a standard care session once a week, for 8 weeks (control group). The primary endpoint was change in sleep difficulties and insomnia, as measured by the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), administered at baseline and 8 weeks later. Results: Random assignment produced equivalent groups regarding demographic and clinical characteristics at baseline. After 8 weeks, the changes in sleep quality and quantity were significantly different in the two groups. In the acupuncture group 43.33% go into complete remission (absence of insomnia), but none in the control group, and the mean ISI score decreased from 15.87 (standard deviation, SD= 3.95) to 9.80 (SD= 6.22), in the acupuncture group versus 17.46 to 15.39. No patient reported any problems or discomfort associated with acupuncture. Conclusion: A weekly session of acupuncture may have beneficial effects on quality and quantity of sleep among breast cancer women on hormone replacement therapy, after 8 weeks. The results could have important implications for Public Health to prioritize promotion of healthy sleep and acupuncture may be considered as alternative intervention in healthcare setting to ameliorate cancer patients’ sleep and quality of life.

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Effect of exercise therapy, systemic acupuncture and silicon oxide tablets on muscular strength, lymphedema, and quality of life in breast cancer survivors: randomized clinical trial

Giron

Haddad

Rizzi

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Purpose: To compare three distinct rehabilitation treatments (exercise therapy, acupuncture, and silicon oxide tablets (Stiper®) in women undergoing breast cancer surgery, assessing strength, lymphedema, and quality of life. Methods: Seventy-nine women with pain above 3 on the visual analogue pain scale (VAS) and with more than 90 days of surgery. Group I was treated with exercise therapy with a duration of 30 minutes, group II treated with 30 minutes of acupuncture using predefined points and group III treated with the same acupuncture points as group II, however, using the silicon oxide in place of needles. Results: There was an improvement in upper limb muscle strength over time in all groups, except for abduction and internal rotation movements. During treatment, there was no increase in the number of patients with lymphedema and there was no statistical difference between the groups. Regarding the EORTC QLQ-C30 quality of life questionnaire, nine of the fifteen factors analyzed showed significant differences between sessions. The factors that did not have significant differences between the three groups were Social Function, Nausea and Vomiting, Dyspnea, Loss of Appetite, Constipation, and Diarrhea. Conclusion:The rehabilitation of physical dysfunctions in women who survived breast cancer through exercise therapy, acupuncture, and silicon oxide tablets in upper limb muscle strength, lymphedema, and quality of life, proved to be effective, without difference between groups. Clinical Trials registry on 01/11/2016, with number NCT02798263.

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Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis: Effectiveness and Safety of Acupuncture as Adjuvant Therapy for Side Effects Management in Drug Therapy-Receiving Breast Cancer Patients

Cited by 5 publications

References 36 publications

Safety of acupuncture in oncology: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

Safety of acupuncture in oncology: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

Effectiveness and safety of acupuncture to treat sleep difficulties in women on hormone replacement therapy for the treatment of breast cancer: a randomized controlled trial

Effect of exercise therapy, systemic acupuncture and silicon oxide tablets on muscular strength, lymphedema, and quality of life in breast cancer survivors: randomized clinical trial

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