Acupuncture in adults with Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: a systematic review.
Amanda Fonseca Baviera, Karin Olson, Juliana Maria de Paula and 2 others
PMID 30916227WHAT IT FOUND
Acupuncture was associated with fewer chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy symptoms in some adults and no adverse events across five non-randomised studies.
These studies do not prove acupuncture alone helped.
Key findings
01The review included five studies after 607 articles were searched, and all reported improvement in CIPN symptoms in at least some participants with no adverse events.
02Some participants did not report reduced CIPN symptoms after acupuncture.
03Some participants also used other CIPN medications, including pregabalin and carbamazepine, during acupuncture, and medication use was not controlled.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only five studies were included, and they were quasi-experimental or cohort studies, not randomised controlled trials. The studies used different acupuncture protocols, acupoints, and durations, so results cannot be pooled or compared easily. Some participants also used CIPN medications such as pregabalin and carbamazepine during acupuncture, and medication use was not controlled. One cohort study used questionnaires not tested for validity and reliability and failed to identify and control confounding factors. Most studies relied on subjective symptom reports, and no study showed a correlation between objective nerve conduction measures and subjective symptoms. The review excluded electrical, laser and auricular acupuncture, so the findings apply only to acupuncture without those modalities.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that acupuncture alone reduces CIPN symptoms. The review included only five non-randomised studies, and some participants also used medications such as pregabalin and carbamazepine during acupuncture without those medications being controlled.