Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Curr Oncol Rep. 2021 May 5;23(7):82. doi: 10.1007/s11912-021-01067-1.
Loss of appetite/anorexia is extremely common among cancer patients, affecting as many as half of newly diagnosed patients and 70% of patients with advanced disease. Effective management of this disabling symptom of cancer remains a major challenge in the field of oncology. We conducted a systematic review of the current evidence on acupuncture and/or moxibustion as an intervention for cancer-related anorexia.
Acupuncture, as a part of traditional Chinese medicine practice, has demonstrated effectiveness in managing many cancer- and treatment-related symptoms, especially chemotherapy-induced or postoperative nausea. However, the efficacy of acupuncture in treating cancer-related anorexia/loss of appetite is not clear. The current level of evidence is insufficient to make a definitive conclusion on the benefit of acupuncture/moxibustion for treating chronic cancer-related anorexia/appetite problems. Future large randomized controlled trials of high methodological quality are needed.
癌症患者普遍存在食欲不振/厌食，多达一半的新诊断患者和 70%的晚期疾病患者受到影响。有效管理癌症这一致残症状仍然是肿瘤学领域的主要挑战。我们对针灸和/或艾灸作为癌症相关厌食症干预措施的现有证据进行了系统评价。
针灸作为中医实践的一部分，已证明在治疗许多癌症和治疗相关症状方面具有有效性，特别是化疗引起的或术后恶心。然而，针灸治疗癌症相关厌食/食欲不振的疗效尚不清楚。目前的证据水平不足以对针灸/艾灸治疗慢性癌症相关厌食/食欲问题的益处做出明确结论。需要未来进行高质量、大样本的随机对照试验。
