Effects of Acupuncture on Pain in Patients With Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Conventional therapies for breast cancer pain have inherent limitations, prompting interest in acupuncture as a complementary analgesic approach. This study presents an updated systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate its efficacy.

An extensive literature investigation was undertaken via PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang Database, encompassing all entries up to February 2025. Only randomized controlled trials focusing on acupuncture-assisted therapy (manual acupuncture, electroacupuncture, auricular acupuncture, warm needling, and moxibustion) for breast cancer-related pain were included. Meta-analytic techniques were applied to aggregate pain scores, and the 95% confidence intervals for the standardized mean difference were computed. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were conducted to assess the robustness of the findings. Bibliographic handling and data collection were supported by EndNote and Excel; statistical analyses utilized RevMan 5.4 and Stata 16.

A total of 35 randomized controlled trials comprising 40 treatment arms and 2,716 participants were included. Acupuncture significantly reduced pain compared with control interventions (standardized mean difference = -1.61, 95% confidence interval [-1.97, -1.25], I² = 94%, p < .00001). Subgroup analyses based on patient population, acupuncture type, combination therapies, intervention duration, and geographic origin demonstrated consistent advantages of acupuncture. The most frequently applied acupoints included Zusanli (16 studies), Quchi (13 studies), Hegu (9 studies), and Sanyinjiao (8 studies).

Acupuncture-based therapy demonstrates marked effectiveness in easing pain among individuals with breast cancer. Despite significant heterogeneity, acupuncture-based therapy offers superior pain control with a favorable safety profile relative to standard treatments.