Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28829776›Full record

SynthesisPloS one2017

Effect of acupuncture on hot flush and menopause symptoms in breast cancer- A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Tsai-Ju Chien, Chung-Hua Hsu, Chia-Yu Liu, Ching-Ju Fang

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
26citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
30.6field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

26 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 115 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  8. Trial
  9. The effect of acupuncture on hot flashes and sleep disturbances in women with breast cancer receiving endocrine therapy: a pre-post quasi-interventional study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Article
  10. Review
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  13. Exploration of Japanese women seeking acupuncture for menopausal symptoms: a preliminary study.International journal of complementary & alternative medicine · 2023
    Article
  14. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Tsai-Ju ChienInstitute of Traditional Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9646-5272
Chung-Hua HsuInstitute of Traditional Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chia-Yu LiuInstitute of Traditional Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Ching-Ju FangMedical Library, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University · TWNational Cheng Kung University · TW

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMany breast cancer patients suffer from hot flush and medical menopause as side effects of treatment. Some patients undergo acupuncture, rather than hormone therapy, to relieve these symptoms, but the efficacy of acupuncture is uncertain. This meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of acupuncture on hot flush and menopause symptoms in women with breast cancer.

methodsA literature search was performed, following the PRISMA Statement and without language restrictions, of 7 databases from inception through March 2017. All selected studies were randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that examined the effect of needle acupuncture on hot flush and menopause symptoms in patients with breast cancer. The methodological quality of these trials was assessed using Cochrane criteria, and meta-analysis software (RevMan 5.2) was used to analyze the data.

resultsWe examined 844 breast cancer patients (average age: 58 years-old) from 13 RCTs. The trials had medium-to-high quality, based on the modified Jadad scale. The meta-analysis showed that acupuncture had no significant effect on the frequency and the severity of hot flush (p = 0.34; p = 0.33), but significantly ameliorated menopause symptoms (p = 0.009). None of the studies reported severe adverse events.

conclusionsAcupuncture significantly alleviated menopause symptoms, but had no effect on hot flush. Breast cancer patients concerned about the adverse effects of hormone therapy should consider acupuncture. Further large-scale studies that also measure biomarkers or cytokines may help to elucidate the mechanism by which acupuncture alleviates menopause symptoms in patients with breast cancer.

Indexed as

Acupuncture TherapyMenopauseBreast NeoplasmsFemaleHot FlashesHumans

Identifiers

PMID28829776
PMCPMC5568723
OpenAlexW2745896541

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.