ArticleGland surgery2023
The efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion for breast cancer lymphedema: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.
Article in Gland surgery, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 2 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
4 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of eight different acupuncture and moxibustion therapies on breast cancer-related lymphedema: a Bayesian network meta-analysis.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Acupuncture and Acupressure for Cancer Symptom Management: an Opinion Statement Based on Preliminary Evidence Mapping.Current treatment options in oncology · 2026Review
- Acupuncture promotes neurological recovery and regulates lymphatic function after acute inflammatory nerve root injury.Heliyon · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Breast cancer lymphedema (BCL) is one of the most common complications of breast cancer. Common western medical treatments for BCL, such as western medicine and lymphatic drainage, are ineffective, and recurrence may easily occur, making treatment more challenging and placing a heavier burden on patients. Acupuncture therapy is commonly used to treat BCL in China, and there are many acupuncture therapies, including acupuncture, moxibustion, and the combination of acupuncture and moxibustion. Given the difference in operation difficulty, efficacy and safety of these acupuncture types, how to the most effective therapy is controversial. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of different acupuncture and moxibustion methods, so as to provide guidance for clinical practice. Methods: The PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, VIP, and SinoMed databases were searched to September 30, 2022. Participants were diagnosed with BCL. Acupuncture was used in the intervention group, and other acupuncture were used in the control group. Outcomes included arm circumference, visual analogue scale (VAS), and safety evaluation. Risk of Bias Assessment Tool 2 (ROB2) was used to assess the risk of bias, Stata 16 was used for network meta-analysis. Results: A total of 7 studies were included, with 422 patients. The interventions included fire acupuncture, acupuncture (face), moxa-moxibustion, heat-sensitive moxibustion, moxibustion [traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)], acupuncture combine with moxibustion, acupoint application. The risk of overall bias was low or some concerns. The meta-analysis showed that: (I) arm circumference: acupuncture combined with moxibustion was superior to acupoint application [mean difference (MD) =-0.54; 95% confidence interval (CI): (-0.67, -0.41); P<0.05]. The surface under the cumulative ranking probability area (SUCRA) ranking results showed that acupuncture combined with moxibustion may be the optimal method. (II) VAS: acupuncture (face) was more effective than acupuncture (body) [MD =-0.85; 95% CI: (-1.09, -0.61); P<0.01]. The SUCRA ranking results showed that acupuncture (face) had the best effect. Conclusions: Based on the current evidence, acupuncture and moxibustion is of great efficacy and safety for the treatment of BCL. Acupuncture combined with moxibustion is the most effective in reducing the arm circumference, and acupuncture (face) is of the greatest analgesic effect.
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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.