ReviewEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2021
Clinical Evidence for the Effects of Manual Therapy on Cancer Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Review in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
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
17 citing papers in PubMed, 43 citations in OpenAlex.
- Can Manual Therapy Alter Muscle Stiffness in Patients With Spinal Accessory Nerve Injury?Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery · 2025Trial
- Review
- Use of Instrumental Physical Therapies and Manual Therapy in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review.Cancers · 2026Review
- A hands-on approach to personalizing palliative care: the role of osteopathic manipulative treatment.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Article
- Chinese acupoint therapies in cancer pain management: research advances and future perspectives.Pain management · 2025Review
- A Resilience Framework for Research in Oncology Massage Therapy.International journal of therapeutic massage & bodywork · 2025Article
- Effect of osteopathic manipulative treatment on pain in palliative care patients: a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial.Pain reports · 2025Article
- Tuina alleviates neuropathic pain through regulate the activation of microglia and the secretion of inflammatory cytokine in spinal cord.Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan · 2024Article
- Integrative Approaches for Cancer Pain Management.Current oncology reports · 2024Review
- The skin-brain connection and pleasant touch as supportive care for psychocutaneous disorders.Skin health and disease · 2024Review
- Exploring the bidirectional relationship between pain and mental disorders: a comprehensive Mendelian randomization study.The journal of headache and pain · 2023Article
- Terminally ill patients' and their relatives' experiences and behaviors regarding complementary and alternative medicine utilization in hospice palliative inpatient care units: a cross-sectional, multicenter survey.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2023Article
- Article
- Article
- A Comprehensive Strategy to Pain Management for Cancer Patients in an Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- The Effects of Massage Therapy in Decreasing Pain and Anxiety in Post-Surgical Patients With Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Global advances in integrative medicine and healthArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThis meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of manual therapy (MT) on cancer pain, so as to provide clinical evidence for application.
methodsFive English and Chinese databases were searched until February 29, 2020, for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of MT for cancer pain. Articles published in the English or Chinese language were included. Two authors independently reviewed all articles and extracted the data, and any disagreements in the above process were discussed with other reviewers until the authors reached consensus. Review Manager 5.3 was used to calculate the effect size and 95% confidence intervals. This review was registered in PROSPERO, number CRD42020172053.
resultsThe intensity of cancer pain is our primary outcome measure, and compared with standard care, MT can significantly relieve the pain of patients with cancer (SMD, 0.63; 95% CI [0.18, 1.08];
conclusionMT was an effective intervention, which may have immediate effect on cancer pain and may improve physical function and global well-being. In the view of follow-up effects, MT had good effects for the reduction of pain and the recovery of physical function. However, because of limitations, the seemingly promising results should be interpreted with caution.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.