ReviewJournal of clinical medicine2023
The Role of Rehabilitation in the Treatment of Constipation in Oncological Patients.
Review in Journal of clinical medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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
10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Traditional herbal medicine for opioid-induced constipation in patients with cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- Efficacy of acupuncture for functional constipation in elderly: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Pooled it
- The effectiveness of Zhi-Shi plaster acupoint therapy combined with lactulose in the treatment of geriatrics functional constipation: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Trial
- Early Nutritional-Immune Biomarker Trajectories Following Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer: A Prospective Longitudinal Cohort Study.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Efficacy of Phytotherapy for Cancer-Related Fatigue: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Effects of home-based exercise on anxiety, depression, cancer-related fatigue, and quality of life in colorectal cancer patients: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Review
- Pharmacological and rehabilitation strategies in opioid-induced constipation: an observational study.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2026Article
- Utilization Pattern of Acupuncture and Its Associated Predictors for Cancer Pain in South Korea: A Cross-Sectional Study.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Case Report: Acupuncture for acute colonic pseudo- obstruction in a 90-year-old patient with COVID-19 infection.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Neck Pain: Systematic Review and Meta‑analysis with Trial Sequential Analysis.Journal of pain research · 2025Review
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 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundChemotherapy, as well as opioid and antiemetic drugs, can contribute to constipation in oncological patients. This systematic review aims to analyse the potential of specific rehabilitation strategies and alternative strategies for improving constipation symptoms, with the goal of incorporating these strategies into a dedicated protocol for managing cancer-related constipation. This could potentially reduce the dosages of or eliminate the need for constipation medications.
methodsA systematic search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. The review included studies analysing constipation complaints in cancer patients treated with rehabilitation, acupuncture and osteopathy.
resultsThe review included 16 studies in line with PRISMA and PICOS criteria. Most studies showed that physical exercise, abdominal massage, TENS, acupuncture and education on the correct defecation position positively impacted the management of constipation and quality of life in oncological patients. A physiotherapy program involving massages as well as aerobic and resistance training improved constipation in oncological women, regardless of age, sex and frailty. A combination of abdominal massage, abdominal muscle stretching and education on proper defecation position alleviated the severity of constipation and related depression. However, the outcomes regarding TENS were yet inconsistent. Another technique, becoming increasingly common for constipation, and demonstrating positive results, involved stimulating trigger points through acupressure and acupuncture. Conversely, osteopathic and superficial manipulations more frequently required constipation medications than did the other alternative approaches. However, no existing studies have proposed a specific protocol to manage cancer-related constipation.
conclusionsThe results of the studies confirm the positive influences of rehabilitation, osteopathy and acupuncture on constipation and pain in oncological patients. Nevertheless, further studies are required to establish the best type, timing and duration of treatment, as well as how the stage and location of the cancer and the cause of constipation (drug-induced or functional) impact the results.
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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.