文献类型：期刊文献

英文题名：Meta-analysis of acupuncture therapy for knee osteoarthritis in cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy

作者：Liang, X.[1];Liu, M.[2]

第一作者：Liang, X.

通信作者：Liu, M[1]

机构：[1]Gansu Prov Hosp Tradit Chinese Med, Dept Anesthesiol, Lanzhou 730050, Gansu, Peoples R China;[2]Gansu Univ Chinese Med, Affiliated Hosp, Dept Acupuncture & Massage, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, Peoples R China

第一机构：Gansu Prov Hosp Tradit Chinese Med, Dept Anesthesiol, Lanzhou 730050, Gansu, Peoples R China

通信机构：[1]corresponding author), Gansu Univ Chinese Med, Affiliated Hosp, Dept Acupuncture & Massage, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, Peoples R China.|[10735db5df93766a96e5b]甘肃中医药大学针灸推拿学院;[10735]甘肃中医药大学;[10735b845793de6ae2b30]甘肃中医药大学第二附属医院;

年份：2026

卷号：24

期号：2

起止页码：553

外文期刊名：INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RADIATION RESEARCH

收录：;Scopus(收录号：2-s2.0-105043852810);WOS:【SCI-EXPANDED(收录号:WOS:001819810300036)】；

基金：Funding: This work was supported by the Gansu Provincial Science and Technology Program (Grant No. 20JR10RA123) . The funding body had no involvement in the design, analysis, interpretation, or publication of the study results. Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the conduct, analysis, or publication of this research. Ethical considerations: This study is a meta-analysis based on previously published clinical trials and therefore did not require direct ethical approval or patient consent. All included studies were reported to have obtained ethical approval from their respective institutional review boards and informed consent from participants in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

语种：英文

外文关键词：knee; acupuncture therapy; radiotherapy; neoplasms; integrative oncology; meta-analysis; Osteoarthritis

摘要：Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a degenerative joint disease prevalent among the elderly, and its symptoms may be exacerbated in cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy due to radiation-induced musculoskeletal complications such as fibrosis and vascular damage. Acupuncture, a modality of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), has shown promise in improving joint function and reducing pain, but its clinical effectiveness in cancer patients receiving radiotherapy remains unclear. This meta-analysis aimed to systematically evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture for KOA in cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. Materials and Methods: A systematic and comprehensive search was conducted across CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published from January 2012 to June 2022. Eligible studies involved cancer patients (e.g., breast, lung, or pelvic malignancies) who developed KOA and were concurrently treated with external-beam radiotherapy using systems such as Varian TrueBeam, Elekta Versa HD, or Shanghai United Imaging uRT-linac. Acupuncture interventions included manual, electro-, or warm acupuncture, administered alone or as adjunctive therapy. The modified Jadad scale was used for quality assessment, and meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.3, expressing outcomes as odds ratios (OR) or mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: A total of eight RCTs involving 582 patients (293 acupuncture, 289 control) met the inclusion criteria. Acupuncture significantly improved the total effective rate (OR = 4.10, 95% CI [2.51, 6.71], P < 0.00001) and reduced WOMAC scores (MD = -12.45, 95% CI [-16.78, -8.12], P < 0.00001) compared with radiotherapy alone or radiotherapy combined with Western medicine. Heterogeneity across studies was low (I-2 = 0%), and subgroup analysis showed consistent results across radiotherapy systems and acupuncture techniques. Conclusion: Acupuncture provides a clinically meaningful adjunctive benefit for managing KOA symptoms in cancer patients receiving radiotherapy, improving pain relief, stiffness, and functional outcomes. However, limitations in study quality and potential publication bias highlight the need for larger, high-quality RCTs integrating radiotherapy parameters and standardized acupuncture protocols.