Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 1, 2026
Acupoint Application as a Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment for Fatigue Associated with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Published on: September 5, 2025
Comparative Effectiveness of Acupoint Stimulation Therapies for Cancer-Related Fatigue: A Network Meta-Analysis
Hui-Chuan Chou1, Sriyani Padmalatha Konara Mudiyanselage2,3, Chia-Chun Tang4
1Department of Cancer Center, China Medical University Hsinchu Hospital, Hsinchu County, Taiwan, ROC.
Aim:
This study aimed to evaluate and rank the effectiveness of various acupoint stimulation therapies in alleviating cancer-related fatigue (CRF), a pervasive and distressing symptom among cancer patients.
Background:
CRF severely compromises patients' quality of life across treatment and survivorship stages. Despite growing interest in nonpharmacological interventions, comparative evidence on the efficacy of acupoint stimulation therapies remains limited.
Methods:
A systematic review and network meta-analysis of 28 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 2370 participants was conducted. Databases searched included MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Airiti Library. Interventions included acupuncture, acupressure, oil acupressure, moxibustion, and transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS). Standardized mean differences (SMDs) were calculated using a random-effects model. Surface Under the Cumulative Ranking Curve (SUCRA) was used to rank therapies.
Findings:
Oil acupressure (SUCRA: 73.6%), relaxing acupressure (73.4%), and acupuncture (72.7%) were the most effective interventions. Both professionally administered and self-administered therapies significantly reduced CRF, with no major differences in efficacy. Subgroup analyses revealed consistent effectiveness across cancer types, particularly breast and lung cancer, and treatment stages.
Conclusions:
Acupoint stimulation therapies, especially acupressure and acupuncture, effectively reduce CRF and are suitable for integration into routine cancer care. Self-administered acupressure offers a practical, low-cost alternative, especially in resource-limited settings. Standardization of protocols and long-term studies are warranted to guide clinical implementation.
Trial Registration:
The review protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO: CRD42024556455).
Related Concept Videos
02:49Cancer Therapies
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
01:20Comparing the Survival Analysis of Two or More Groups
02:57Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
01:21Fatigue
02:26Protein Networks
These interactions can be represented through maps depicting protein-protein interaction networks, represented as nodes and edges. Nodes are circles that are representative of a protein,...
01:21Cancer Survival Analysis