Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30905173›Full record

Trial reportIntegrative cancer therapies

A Randomized Assessor-Blinded Wait-List-Controlled Trial to Assess the Effectiveness of Acupuncture in the Management of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy.

Alexander Molassiotis, Lorna K P Suen, Hui Lin Cheng, T S K Mok, Sara C Y Lee, C H Wang, Paul Lee, Howan Leung, V Chan, T K H Lau and 1 more

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Integrative cancer therapies. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07693335 (Efficacy of Acupuncture on Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy), which is not on this map. Cited by 55 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
55citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
5.6field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07693335 nacompletednot on this map

Efficacy of Acupuncture on Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN): A Phase III, Randomized, Sham-controlled Clinical Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorTaiwan Municipal An-Nan Hospital-China Medical UniversityRan2021 to 2025Enrolled28ConditionsChemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN), AcupunctureArmsAcupuncture, Minimal acupuncture
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

55 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 106 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. BeyondFrontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2025
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  10. Acupuncture for chemotherapy-induced dysgeusia (AcuDysg): a randomized controlled trial.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Trial
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  17. Multimodal Japanese-style acupuncture and moxibustion for taxane-related chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in breast cancer survivors.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Alexander Molassiotis1 The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR.
Lorna K P Suen1 The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR.
Hui Lin Cheng1 The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR.
T S K Mok2 Prince of Wales Hospital, Sha Tin, Hong Kong SAR.
Sara C Y Lee1 The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR.
C H Wang2 Prince of Wales Hospital, Sha Tin, Hong Kong SAR.
Paul Lee1 The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR.
Howan Leung2 Prince of Wales Hospital, Sha Tin, Hong Kong SAR.
V Chan2 Prince of Wales Hospital, Sha Tin, Hong Kong SAR.
T K H Lau2 Prince of Wales Hospital, Sha Tin, Hong Kong SAR.
Winnie Yeo2 Prince of Wales Hospital, Sha Tin, Hong Kong SAR.
Prince of Wales Hospital · CNHong Kong Polytechnic University · HK

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeChemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is a complex side effect with few available treatment options. The aim of the study was to test the effectiveness of an 8-week course of acupuncture in the management of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in cancer patients who were receiving or had received neurotoxic chemotherapy.

methodsRandomized assessor-blinded controlled trial with 2 arms; one arm received acupuncture twice weekly for 8 weeks, while the other arm was a wait-list control group receiving only standard care. Primary outcome was pain intensity and interference over the past week using the Brief Pain Inventory at the end of the intervention. Secondary outcomes included clinical assessment (CTCAE [Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse Events] grading and Total Neuropathy Score-Clinical Version) and nerve conduction studies; and patient-reported outcome measures (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Gynecologic Oncology Group-Neurotoxicity Quality of Life scale and Symptom Distress Scale) assessed at baseline, end of treatment (8 weeks), week 14, and week 20 from the beginning of treatment.

resultsEighty-seven patients were randomized to the experimental arm (n = 44) and to the standard care wait-list control arm (n = 43). Significant changes at 8 weeks were detected in relation to primary outcome (pain), the clinical neurological assessment, quality of life domains, and symptom distress (all P < .05). Improvements in pain interference, neurotoxicity-related symptoms, and functional aspects of quality of life were sustained in the 14-week assessment ( P < .05), as were physical and functional well-being at the 20-week assessment ( P < .05).

conclusionsAcupuncture is an effective intervention for treating chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and improving patients' quality of life and experience with neurotoxicity-related symptoms with longer term effects evident.

Indexed as

AcupunctureAcupuncture TherapyAntineoplastic AgentsFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasmsPainPeripheral Nervous System DiseasesQuality of LifeSurveys and QuestionnairesAntineoplastic Agentsacupuncturecancerchemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathyneurotoxicitypainquality of life

Identifiers

PMID30905173
PMCPMC6434440
OpenAlexW2927868010

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.