Overall reporting quality of acupuncture treatment for cancer-related symptoms and adverse effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy

目的:本研究旨在系统评估近年来关于针刺治疗癌症相关症状及化疗后不良反应的随机对照试验 (RCT) 报告质量. 方法:在PubMed上检索截止2024年12月关于针刺治疗癌症及其治疗相关不良反应的所有RCT.采用Excel表格进行数据提取和质量评估, 基于CONSORT,STRICTA和TIDieR-Placebo三项国际报告指南进行分析. 结果:共纳入129篇文献, 其中126篇为SCI收录, 包含10789名患者.研究地点以美国, 中国为主, 癌症包括乳腺癌,结直肠癌,头颈癌等, 疾病类型以疼痛,CIPN,恶心呕吐为主.大多数研究大部分研究提供了充分的背景,明确的研究目标和假设, 但在随机化过程,盲法实施,样本量计算,不良反应,针刺干预的具体操作 (如针刺深度,得气反应等) 以及安慰剂针刺的依从性和环境描述方面存在报道缺失. 结论:本研究揭示了当前癌症相关症状管理中针刺RCT报告质量的不足, 特别是在随机化,盲法,样本量计算和干预细节等方面的缺陷.未来的研究应严格遵循国际报告指南, 优化研究设计, 推动针刺疗法的标准化, 以提高针刺RCT的透明度,可靠性和可重复性, 为针刺在癌症管理中的循证医学发展提供支持. The objective of this study was to systematically evaluate the reporting quality of recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the potential of acupuncture for the management of cancer-related symptoms and chemotherapy-induced adverse effects. RCTs evaluating acupuncture for cancer-related symptoms and treatment-related adverse effects were retrieved from PubMed through December 31, 2024. Data extraction and quality assessment were conducted using Excel spreadsheets, and the analysis was based on the CONSORT, STRICTA, and TIDieR-Placebo international reporting guidelines. In total, 129 studies were included, of which 126 were indexed in the Science Citation Index, encompassing 10,798 patients. Most studies were conducted in the United States and China and covered various types of cancer, including breast, colorectal, and head and neck cancer. The most commonly studied symptoms were pain, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, and vomiting. Although most studies provided sufficient background information and clearly stated their research objectives and hypotheses, notable reporting deficiencies were observed in the randomization process, blinding implementation, sample size calculation, adverse events, acupuncture intervention details (e.g., needle depth and deqi response), adherence to placebo acupuncture, and environmental conditions. This study underscores deficiencies in the reporting quality of RCTs evaluating acupuncture for managing cancer-related symptoms, particularly regarding randomization, blinding, sample size calculations, and intervention details. Future investigations should adhere rigorously to international reporting guidelines, optimize study designs, and promote the standardization of acupuncture therapies to improve the transparency, reliability, and reproducibility of acupuncture RCTs, thereby supporting the evidence-based integration of acupuncture in cancer care.