Acupuncture for cancer-related fatigue: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials.
Support Care Cancer
; 21(7): 2067-73, 2013 Jul.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-23435597
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
Managing cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is an important element of the palliative care of cancer patients. The aim of this systematic review was to critically evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture (AT) or electroacupuncture (EA) for CRF.METHODS:
Fourteen databases were searched from their respective inception to November 2012. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of AT or EA for the treatment of CRF were considered for inclusion. The risk of bias/methodological quality was assessed using the method suggested by the Cochrane Collaboration.RESULTS:
Seven RCTs met the eligibility criteria. Most were small pilot studies with serious methodological flaws. Four of the RCTs showed effectiveness of AT or AT in addition to usual care (UC) over sham AT, UC, enhanced UC, or no intervention for alleviating CRF. Three RCTs showed no effect of AT/EA over sham treatment.CONCLUSION:
Overall, the quantity and quality of RCTs included in the analysis were too low to draw meaningful conclusions. Even in the positive trials, it remained unclear whether the observed outcome was due to specific effects of AT/EA or nonspecific effects of care. Further research is required to investigate whether AT/EA demonstrates specific effects on CRF.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Terapia por Acupuntura
/
Fatiga
/
Neoplasias
Tipo de estudio:
Clinical_trials
/
Etiology_studies
/
Systematic_reviews
Límite:
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Support Care Cancer
Asunto de la revista:
NEOPLASIAS
/
SERVICOS DE SAUDE
Año:
2013
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Corea del Sur