Dataset Information

Acupuncture for breathlessness in advanced cancer: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Breathlessness in advanced cancer, a frequent multicomponent and debilitating disorder, severely reduces function and quality of patients’ life. Multiple studies have shown that non-pharmacological therapies can effectively palliate breathlessness in advanced cancer. However, no systematic review has investigated the application of acupuncture, as a non-pharmacological treatment, for breathlessness in advanced cancer. A systematic review will be conducted to summarise evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of acupuncture as a therapeutic option for breathlessness in advanced cancer based on existing randomised controlled trials (RCTs).

Methods

RCTs will be retrieved from nine scientific databases, including the MEDLINE via PubMed, Web of Science via the Web of Knowledge, Embase via Ovid, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials via the Cochrane Library, and Allied and Complementary Medicine Database via EBSCO, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, VIP Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database; three clinical registry platforms, including the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, NIH Clinical trials.gov and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, as well as from other sources. Studies published since inception of these databases to 1 August 2021 will be retrieved. Search terms will include breathlessness, cancer, acupuncture and RCT. Two investigators will independently select and extract data from RCTs and assess the risk of bias. The primary outcome, which is alleviation of breathlessness, will be assessed. Meta-analysis will be performed using RevMan V.5.4 and STATA V.15.0. The TSA 0.9.5.10 β software will be used to conduct trial sequential analysis. Finally, the quality of evidence from RCTs will be assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation System tool.

Ethics and dissemination

Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals or conference reports. Since this study involves acquisition of secondary data, ethical approval requirements will be waived.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42021240085.

SUBMITTER: Yin Z

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8587468 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundThere is insufficient evidence to support the use of acupuncture for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and there is no consensus on its efficacy. This review aimed to determine the acupuncture effect in patients with MCI.MethodsRelevant and potentially eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture for MCI were obtained from four Chinese databases, four English databases, and additional resources up to 1 August 2022. The primary outcome was the improvement in overall cognitive function (OCF). Secondary outcomes were improved memory function (MF) and activities of daily living (ADLs). The revised Cochrane collaboration risk of bias (ROB) assessment tool (ROB 2.0) was applied to evaluate their methodological quality. The Review Manager software v 5.4 was used for analyses. Trial sequential analysis (TSA) 0.9.5.10 β software was used to estimate the required sample size and test the reliability of the pooled outcome. The quality of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) tool.ResultsThis meta-analysis included 11 RCTs with a total of 602 patients. The methodological quality of all trials was moderate. Low-quality evidence showed that acupuncture significantly improved OCF (Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE): mean difference (MD) = 1.22, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.78-1.66; the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA): MD = 1.22, 95% CI: 0.47-1.97). In subgroup analyses, it was revealed that acupuncture significantly increased OCF in patients with MCI when compared to conventional medicine (CM) and sham acupuncture (SA). TSA's findings indicated that the evidence of improving OCF with acupuncture for patients with MCI was conclusive. Meanwhile, there is no statistical difference in the improvement of MF and ADL between acupuncture and CM. TSA showed that the evidence of improving MF and ADL for patients who had MCI and received acupuncture was inconclusive. The shreds of evidence of improving MF and ADL were ranked from low to critically low.ConclusionAcupuncture appears to be an effective clinical application method for improving OCF in patients with MCI. However, due to low-quality evidence, more relevant and high-quality research is needed in this field.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021291284, PROSPERO, No. CRD42021291284.

Project description:Pain, autonomic distress, and emergence agitation occur commonly in children undergoing general anesthesia. While acupuncture therapy has been reported to effectively reduce such pain and autonomic distress in children, its effect in preventing emergence agitation remains unclear. Therefore, we will conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis to evaluate the effect of acupuncture therapy in preventing emergence agitation in children undergoing general anesthesia. Methods and analysis This protocol was prepared according to the 2015 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) for Protocols guidelines. We will conduct a search for randomized controlled trials that evaluated the effect of acupuncture therapy in preventing emergence agitation. The following databases will be searched for relevant articles: MEDLINE, CENTRAL, Embase, and Web of Science; four pre-registration sites will be accessed from inception to April 1, 2021. No language restrictions will be applied. Two authors will independently scan and select eligible studies, extract the data, and assess the risk of bias. The incidence of emergence agitation will be combined as a risk ratio with a 95% confidence interval using a random-effect model. The I2 statistics will be used to assess heterogeneity. We will evaluate the quality of the clinical trials using the Cochrane methodology and assess the quality of evidence using the Grading of Recommendation Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. If appropriate, a trial sequential analysis will be performed. Expected outcomes This meta-analysis will be the first to evaluate the effect of acupuncture therapy in preventing emergence agitation in children. The findings from this meta-analysis have the potential to reveal pivotal factors that affect the clinical effect of acupuncture therapy, thereby supporting the optimization of acupuncture therapy for emergence agitation. Protocol registration University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN000040775).

Project description:INTRODUCTION:Thread embedding acupuncture (TEA) is a special type of acupuncture that inserts certain medical threads (eg, catgut or polydioxanone) into subcutaneous tissue or muscles at specific points. Although TEA has been widely used for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain in Korea, China and Taiwan, evidence regarding its efficacy is lacking. The aim of this protocol is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of TEA in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain, by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS AND ANALYSIS:The following 16 databases will be searched from their inception to 14 May 2017: MEDLINE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, the Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, three Chinese database (China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database and the Wanfang database) and eight Korean databases (Korean Medical Database, Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors, Korean Studies Information Service System, Korean National Assembly Digital Library, National Digital Science Library, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, 'Database Periodical Information Academic and Korean Traditional Knowledge Portal'). The WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform will also be searched to retrieve the recently completed studies.All randomised controlled studies in which TEA was used on specific points for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain will be included and no restrictions on language will be applied. The risk of bias of each study will be evaluated by the Cochrane risk of bias tool.Mean difference or standardised mean difference for continuous data and risk ratio for dichotomous data will be calculated with 95% CIs using a random effects model or a fixed effects model. Additional subgroup and sensitivity analyses will be conducted according to a predefined protocol. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION:No ethical issues are predicted. The systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal or conference presentation. These findings will summarise the current evidence of TEA for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain and may provide guidance for clinicians and patients to select TEA for musculoskeletal pain. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER:CRD42015019046.

Project description:In this study, we aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for vocal nodules, concerning qualitive overall efficacy and quantitative improvement on quality of voice. Four English and four Chinese databases were searched up to December 10th, 2022. Risk of bias among the included trials were evaluated by the Cochrane ROB tool. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses were conducted based on the Cochrane systematic review method by using RevMan 5.4 Software, and trial sequential analyses were performed by TSA 0.9. Meta-influence analyses, subgroup-analyses, meta-regression, and evaluation of publication bias were performed for exploration of heterogeneity by Stata V.14. Quality of the results was accessed through the GRADE-pro GDT. Cluster analyses and correlation coefficient were performed by R 4.1.3. Finally, 15 trials involving 1,888 participants were included. Results showed that compared with western medicine alone or Chinese herbal medicine alone, acupuncture alone yielded significantly (p<0.05) higher clinical effective rate and more improvement on scores of voice analyses. However, reduction on scores of grade, roughness, and breathiness and voice handicap index during follow-ups, and results of clinical effective rate suggested that acupuncture was inferior to voice training. In addition, meta-regression and sub-group analyses firstly revealed advanced efficacies of acupuncture when performed with local and remote acupoints, compared with local acupoints only. Acupuncture specified adverse event was denied in six trials while it was not mentioned in other nine trials. Results of cluster analyses and correlation coefficient showed that Kai yin yi hao and He gu (LI-4) were the most frequently applied matching-acupoints in trials. In conclusion, compared with western medicine (level of evidence: low ⨁⨁◯◯, GRADE C) and Chinese herbal medicine (level of evidence: moderate ⨁⨁⨁◯, GRADE B), acupuncture is safe and of better efficacy for patients with vocal nodules, while there is also need for RCTs with improvements on designing and interventions in experimental and controls.

Project description:ImportanceImproved survival in patients with advanced cancer has increased the need for better understanding of how to manage common symptoms that they may experience, such as breathlessness.ObjectiveTo assess the benefits and harms associated with pharmacologic interventions for breathlessness in adults with advanced cancer.Data sourcesPubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for studies published from database inception through May 31, 2020, using predefined eligibility criteria within a PICOTS (population, intervention, comparator, outcome, timing, setting) format.Study selectionRandomized clinical trials (RCTs), non-RCTs, and observational studies with a comparison group that evaluated benefits and/or harms and cohort studies that reported harms were selected.Data extraction and synthesisTwo reviewers independently screened studies for eligibility, serially abstracted data, independently assessed risk of bias, and graded strength of evidence (SOE).Main outcomes and measuresBenefits and harms of pharmacologic interventions were compared, focusing on breathlessness, anxiety, exercise capacity, and health-related quality of life. When possible, meta-analyses were conducted and standardized mean differences (SMDs) calculated.ResultsIn this systematic review and meta-analysis, a total of 7729 unique citations were identified, of which 19 studies (17 RCTs and 2 retrospective studies) that included a total of 1424 patients assessed the benefits of medications for management of breathlessness in advanced cancer or reported harms. The most commonly reported type of cancer was lung cancer. Opioids were not associated with more effectiveness than placebo for improving breathlessness (SMD, -0.14; 95% CI, -0.47 to 0.18) or exercise capacity ( SMD, 0.06; 95% CI, -0.43 to 0.55) (SOE, moderate); most studies examined exertional breathlessness. Specific dose and/or route of administration of opioids did not differ in effectiveness for breathlessness (SMD, 0.15; 95% CI, -0.22 to 0.52) (SOE, low). Anxiolytics were not associated with more effectiveness than placebo for breathlessness or anxiety (reported mean between-group difference, -0.52; 95% CI, -1.045 to 0.005) (SOE, low). Evidence for other pharmacologic interventions was limited. Pharmacologic interventions demonstrated some harms compared with usual care, but dropout attributable to adverse events was minimal in these short-term studies (range 3.2%-16%).Conclusions and relevanceEvidence did not support the association of opioids or other pharmacologic interventions with improved breathlessness. Given that studies had many limitations, pharmacologic interventions should be considered in selected patients but need to be considered in the context of potential harms and evidence of an association of nonpharmacologic interventions with improved breathlessness.