Abstract
Background
Acupuncture therapy is believed to have therapeutic potential for patients suffering from chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). This umbrella review aims to summarize and evaluate the evidence from current systematic reviews/meta-analyses (SRs/MAs) on the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for CIPN.
Methods
We conducted a comprehensive search in eight electronic databases for SRs/MAs that included RCTs on acupuncture treatment for CIPN. Two separate researchers independently evaluated the methodological quality, reporting quality, and evidence quality of the SRs/MAs that were included in the study. Additionally, we examined the extent of overlap among the included RCTs by calculating the corrected covered area (CCA). Furthermore, we assessed the dependability of the effect sizes by conducting excess significance tests. We conducted a quantitative synthesis of all RCTs included in the SRs/MAs to obtain objective and updated conclusions. Furthermore, we also conducted an analysis of the acupuncture points used in RCTs.
Results
This umbrella review includes 9 SRs/MAs, and their methodological quality, risk of bias, reporting quality, and evidence quality were all deemed unsatisfactory. Out of the 9 SRs/MAs, 28 RCTs were included, with a total CCA of 25.4%, indicating a high degree of overlap. The test of super-significance did not yield any significant results. Our updated meta-analysis suggests that CIPN patients can benefit from acupuncture therapy, as indicated by effectiveness in measures including BPI-SF, VAS, FACT-NTX, NRS, SCV, and NCI-CTCAE. Egger’s test and sensitivity analysis demonstrate the reliability and stability of this conclusion. The commonly used acupuncture points in the current RCTs include ST36, LI11, LI4, LR3, and SP6.
Conclusion
Based on the existing evidence, acupuncture is effective and safe for patients with CIPN, as it can significantly improve effective rate, pain symptoms, quality of life, and nerve conduction velocity. However, given the low quality of current evidence, we should be cautious in interpreting this conclusion.
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Data availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Funding
The study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82274528); Shanghai Municipal Health Commission Scientific Research Programme Mission Statement (202240228); Training Program for High-caliber Talents of Clinical Research at Affiliated Hospitals of SHUTCM (2023LCRC06).
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GL, WF, and HS proposed the research design. HS and XY conducted literature search, publication screening, and data extraction. XY and WF performed quality assessment. HS carried out the data analysis. XY conducted manuscript revisions. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.
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Shi, H., Yuan, X., Fan, W. et al. An umbrella review of the evidence to guide decision-making in acupuncture therapies for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 149, 15939–15955 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-023-05369-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-023-05369-8