SynthesisIntegrative cancer therapies
The Effects of Acupuncture on Cancer-Related Fatigue: Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Integrative cancer therapies. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 58 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness and Safety of Acupuncture for Nausea and Vomiting in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Pooled it
- Expectancy Effect of Acupuncture on Cancer-Related Outcomes: A Systematic Review.Oncology nursing forum · 2024Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy for neuropsychiatric symptoms among patients with Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Clinical rehabilitation · 2024Pooled it
- Efficacy of acupuncture therapy for post-stroke fatigue: a systematic review and Meta-analysis.Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan · 2023Pooled it
- Acupuncture therapies for cancer-related fatigue: A Bayesian network meta-analysis and systematic review.Frontiers in oncology · 2023Pooled it
- Acupuncture combined with immunotherapy for recurrent and metastatic cervical cancer: a pilot RCT protocol.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Trial
- Effect of acupuncture on fatigue in cancer survivors with chronic pain: a secondary analysis.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Trial
- Effects of Mind-Regulation Acupuncture Therapy on Serum Ghrelin, Gastric Inhibitory Polypeptide, Leptin, and Insulin Levels in Breast Cancer Survivors with Cancer-Related Fatigue: A Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of general medicine · 2023Trial
- Improving quality of life for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia through supportive care, low-dose therapy, switching, and treatment-free remission.Haematologica · 2026Review
- Integrating English and Chinese evidence on acupuncture and moxibustion for cancer-related fatigue (CRF): a decade of research and clinical recommendations.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Review
- Acupuncture and Acupressure for Cancer Symptom Management: an Opinion Statement Based on Preliminary Evidence Mapping.Current treatment options in oncology · 2026Review
- Acupuncture and moxibustion in integrative oncology and new progress in China.Integrative medicine research · 2025Review
- The role of disease duration in the use of complementary and integrative medicine for cancer-related fatigue: a cross-sectional study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Article
- [Complementary and integrative medicine in cancer-related fatigue].Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz · 2024Review
- Acupuncture influences multiple diseases by regulating gut microbiota.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2024Review
- Dichloroacetate as a novel pharmaceutical treatment for cancer-related fatigue in melanoma.American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism · 2023Article
- The Effects of Complementary Therapies on Patient-Reported Outcomes: An Overview of Recent Systematic Reviews in Oncology.Cancers · 2023Review
- Nonpharmacological interventions for cancer-related fatigue: A literature review.Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing · 2023Review
- Addressing cancer-related fatigue through sleep: A secondary analysis of a randomized trial comparing acupuncture and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia.Integrative medicine research · 2023Article
- Efficacy and safety of acupuncture treatment for fatigue after COVID-19 infection: study protocol for a pilot randomized sham-controlled trial.Frontiers in neurology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSeveral studies have identified fatigue as one of the major symptoms experienced during and after cancer treatment. However, there are limited options to manage cancer related fatigue (CRF) with pharmacological interventions. Several acupuncture studies suggested that acupuncture has a positive impact on CRF. This review aims to assess the evidence of acupuncture for the treatment of CRF.
methodElectronic database searches were conducted on 4 English databases (Medline, PubMed, Embase, and ScienceDirect). Search keywords were; "acupuncture" and "cancer," or "cancer related fatigue." Studies published as full text randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in English were included. Estimates of change in fatigue cores were pooled using a random effects meta-analysis where randomized comparisons were available for true acupuncture versus sham acupuncture and true acupuncture versus usual care. The quality of original papers were assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias (ROB).
resultsNine RCTs were selected for review with a total of 809 participants and a range of 13 to 302 participants within the studies. Six RCTs reported significant improvement of CRF for the acupuncture intervention compared to the control groups. Pooled estimates suggest Brief Fatigue Inventory scores are 0.93 points lower 95% CI (-1.65, -0.20) in true acupuncture versus sham acupuncture and 2.12 points lower 95% C (-3.21, -1.04) in true acupuncture versus usual care. Six studies had low risk of bias (ROB) and 3 studies had a moderate ROB predominantly in blinding of participants, blinding of assessors and incomplete data outcomes. Among the 9 RCTs, 2 studies have reported the occurrence of minor adverse effects (spot bleeding and bruising) related to acupuncture treatment. No serious adverse reactions related to acupuncture were reported.
conclusionThe current literature review suggests that acupuncture has therapeutic potential in management of CRF for cancer survivors. Promotion of acupuncture in cancer care to manage CRF may improve the quality of life of cancer survivors.
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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.