Salehi, A., Marzban, M., & Zadeh, A.R. (2016). Acupuncture for treating hot flashes in breast cancer patients: An updated meta-analysis. Supportive Care in Cancer, 24, 4895–4899. 

DOI Link

Purpose

STUDY PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating hot flashes in women with breast cancer

TYPE OF STUDY: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Search Strategy

DATABASES USED: MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, the Cochrane Breast Cancer Group Specialized Register, CENTRAL, DOAJ, Ovid, WILEY, Science Direct, EBSCO, Springer Link, BMJ, and hand-searched reference lists of reviews of articles and conference proceedings
 
YEARS INCLUDED: Until April 2015
 
INCLUSION CRITERIA: Patients with breast cancer undergoing needle acupuncture with or without electrical stimulation
 
EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Articles related to only the description of hot flashes, articles just describing the menopausal state, articles that included prostate cancer, articles connected to magnetic therapy, articles that were case reports or abstracts

Literature Evaluated

TOTAL REFERENCES RETRIEVED: 152
 
EVALUATION METHOD AND COMMENTS ON LITERATURE USED: Data were extracted from the articles according to predefined criteria. The modified Jadad score was calculated by assessing the description of randomization, blinding, and withdrawals criteria. Comprehensive meta-analysis software (CMA, version 2.2.064, for Windows) was used with 95% confidence intervals determined from each study. The Q test, ۲², and I² test were used to assess heterogeneity.

Sample Characteristics

  • FINAL NUMBER STUDIES INCLUDED = 12
  • TOTAL PATIENTS INCLUDED IN REVIEW = Did not report
  • SAMPLE RANGE ACROSS STUDIES: 10–84 patients
  • KEY SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS: Women with breast cancer receiving acupuncture for hot flashes

Phase of Care and Clinical Applications

PHASE OF CARE: Transition phase after active treatment
 
APPLICATIONS: Elder care

Results

The meta-analysis without any subgroup or moderator did not support favorable effects of acupuncture in reducing the frequency of hot flashes after the intervention in women with breast cancer.

Conclusions

This meta-analysis did not conclude that data support the effectiveness of using acupuncture therapy to decrease the frequency of hot flashes in women with breast cancer. Limitations of the study included heterogeneous studies with a limited number of patients. The author noted the poor quality of the primary data.

Limitations

  • Limited number of studies included
  • Mostly low quality/high risk of bias studies
  • High heterogeneity
  • Low sample sizes
  • Patient selection was not clearly defined to describe the full characteristics of the patient selection.
  • Did not document if patients were on hormonal therapy or if they were experiencing hot flashes
  • Total number of subjects not reported

Nursing Implications

The findings did not support the therapeutic use of acupuncture to decrease the frequency of hot flashes in women with breast cancer.

Legacy ID

6364