ReviewJournal of pain research2026
Efficacy of Acupuncture Combined with the Three-Step Analgesic Protocol in Treating Pain in Liver Cancer Pain: A Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis.
Review in Journal of pain research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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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.
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Approximately 60-80% of patients with advanced liver cancer experience pain, significantly impairing quality of life. While the three-step analgesic regimen has limitations, acupuncture has gained attention for cancer pain management, though evidence for its combined use remains inconsistent. This Bayesian network meta-analysis evaluated the clinical value of acupuncture combined with the three-step regimen. Methods: Randomized controlled trials on acupuncture combined with three-step analgesia for liver cancer pain were searched in Chinese and English databases up to August 2025. Bayesian network meta-analysis was performed using R software. Results: Twenty-seven studies involving 2220 patients were included, covering six acupuncture modalities: Chinese herbal acupoint application, acupoint injection, acupuncture and moxibustion, acupuncture alone, heat-sensitive moxibustion, and floating acupuncture. For pain relief efficacy, SUCRA rankings were: acupuncture plus moxibustion combined with three-step therapy (0.96) > acupuncture plus herbal application combined with three-step therapy (0.65) > floating acupuncture plus herbal application combined with three-step therapy (0.64). For pain intensity (NRS), rankings were: herbal acupoint application combined with three-step therapy (0.72) > floating acupuncture plus herbal application combined with three-step therapy (0.70) > acupuncture combined with three-step therapy (0.63). For adverse events, rankings were: herbal acupoint application combined with three-step therapy (0.80) > acupuncture combined with three-step therapy (0.74) > heat-sensitive moxibustion combined with three-step therapy (0.72). CINeMA assessment indicated generally low evidence quality. Conclusion: Current evidence suggests that herbal acupoint application and acupuncture combined with moxibustion may enhance the three-step analgesic regimen for liver cancer pain, but conclusions are limited by low evidence quality and require further high-quality trials for validation.
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