ArticlePalliative medicine reports
Moxibustion as Supportive Therapy for Opioid-Induced Constipation in Patients with Advanced Cancer: A Case Series.
Article in Palliative medicine reports. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Opioid-induced constipation (OIC) is a common adverse effect of opioid therapy in cancer patients, often persisting despite laxatives and peripherally acting μ-opioid receptor antagonists. Moxibustion, a traditional thermal therapy applied to acupuncture points, has been proposed as a supportive option, but clinical evidence for OIC remains scarce. This study evaluated the clinical outcomes and feasibility of moxibustion for OIC in advanced cancer patients. Methods: We conducted a prospective case series at Kagawa University Hospital (April 2023-July 2025). Ten patients with advanced cancer and clinically diagnosed OIC were included. Eligibility required Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0-2 and no prior chronic constipation. Moxibustion was delivered twice weekly for three weeks (six sessions) to standardized abdominal, hand, and foot acupoints using a ceramic warming device. Constipation severity was assessed with the Constipation Assessment Scale (CAS). Secondary outcomes included laxative use, stool form, and Edmonton Symptom Assessment System-Revised. Results: Eight patients improved in CAS scores (mean change -2.8, SD: 3.0; Conclusions: This case series indicates moxibustion is a feasible and safe complementary therapy for OIC in advanced cancer, with the potential to reduce symptom burden and medication use. While limited by small sample size and lack of control, the findings support further trials to confirm its role in integrative palliative care.
Indexed as
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.