Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39551863›Full record

ReviewPain and therapy2025

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: Is it an Effective Treatment for Cancer Pain?

Yanyuan Du, Yaoyuan Li, Jieqing Hu, Ruiying Fang, Yuming Liu, Liu Cai, Ying Song, Susu Ma, Jin Gao, Hanyue Zhang and 6 more

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Pain and therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Cancer pain.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2026
    Review
  3. Factors associated with cancer pain management behavior among pharmacists: a cross-sectional study based on the COM-B model.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Review
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

16 authors.

Yanyuan DuDepartment of Oncology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 5, Beixiange, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100053, China.
Yaoyuan LiDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100053, China.
Jieqing HuFengtai Community Health Service Center, Beijing, 100071, China.
Ruiying FangDepartment of Oncology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 5, Beixiange, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100053, China.
Yuming LiuDepartment of Oncology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 5, Beixiange, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100053, China.
Liu CaiDepartment of Oncology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 5, Beixiange, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100053, China.
Ying SongDepartment of Oncology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 5, Beixiange, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100053, China.
Susu MaDepartment of Oncology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 5, Beixiange, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100053, China.
Jin GaoDepartment of Oncology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 5, Beixiange, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100053, China.
Hanyue ZhangDepartment of Oncology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 5, Beixiange, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100053, China.
Baihui LiDepartment of Oncology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 5, Beixiange, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100053, China.
Hongtai XiongDepartment of Oncology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 5, Beixiange, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100053, China.
Huibo YuDepartment of Oncology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 5, Beixiange, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100053, China.
Shenglei YangSchool of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, 100084, China.
Shuduo ZhuBinzhou People's Hospital, Binzhou, 256610, China.
Honggang ZhengDepartment of Oncology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 5, Beixiange, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100053, China. honggangzheng@126.com.

Funding

China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences 2022S469National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine ZYYCXTD-C-C202205the National Natural Scientifc Foundation of China No. 82174463
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cancer is a major public health issue, with an estimated 20 million new cases and 9.7 million cancer-related deaths worldwide in 2022. Approximately 44.5% of patients experience cancer pain, significantly impacting their quality of life and causing physical and psychological burdens. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a non-invasive neuromodulation technique, shows potential in managing cancer pain. This review summarizes current research on rTMS for cancer pain, focusing on pain directly caused by tumors, pain from cancer treatments, postoperative pain, and cancer-related symptoms. Additionally, rTMS shows promise in improving cancer-related fatigue, anxiety, depression, and cognitive dysfunction, which can indirectly reduce cancer pain. The analgesic mechanisms of rTMS include inhibiting nociceptive signal transmission in the spinal cord, modulating hemodynamic changes in brain regions, and promoting endogenous opioid release. High-frequency stimulation of the primary motor cortex (M1) has shown significant analgesic effects, improving patients' emotional and cognitive functions and overall quality of life. rTMS has a favorable safety profile, with most studies reporting no severe adverse events. In conclusion, rTMS holds substantial potential for cancer pain management, offering a non-invasive and multifaceted therapeutic approach. Continued research and clinical application are expected to establish rTMS as an essential component of comprehensive cancer pain treatment strategies, significantly enhancing the overall well-being of patients with cancer.

Indexed as

Cancer painNeuroplasticityPain managementRepetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)

Identifiers

PMID39551863
PMCPMC11751341

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.