Acupuncture for healthy-ageing-relevant outcomes in older cancer survivors: a scoping review with implications for future research and practice

Older cancer survivors face multidimensional challenges to healthy ageing and independence. Acupuncture has growing evidence for pain and symptom management, but its role in promoting healthy ageing remains unclear. This scoping review mapped evidence across four healthy-ageing-relevant domains, including physical function, psychological distress, cognition, and medication use, and identified knowledge gaps. We searched PubMed, Embase, and Scopus from inception through June 30, 2026. Eligible studies evaluated acupuncture among adult cancer survivors; studies restricted to younger populations were excluded. Findings were extracted and narratively synthesized across the four domains. Of 986 records identified, 39 articles representing 37 studies were included. Most were randomized controlled trials (n = 21, 56.8%), and breast cancer was the most frequently studied (n = 22, 59.5%). Most studies assessed healthy-ageing-relevant outcomes as secondary outcomes in symptom-focused studies, with pain being the most common primary outcome (n = 9, 24.3%). No study specifically targeted older cancer survivors (age 65 or older). Physical function (n = 28, 75.7%) and psychological distress (n = 17, 45.9%) were the most frequently studied domains, whereas cognition (n = 8, 21.6%) and medication use (n = 10, 27.0%) were less frequently evaluated. Acupuncture showed promising improvements in functional outcomes and anxiety/depression compared with usual care or waitlist, whereas findings were more mixed with sham or active comparators and other outcomes. Acupuncture is promising to support healthy ageing related outcomes among cancer survivors; however, rigorous controlled clinical trials focusing on older adults are lacking. Future prospective trials focusing on addressing these important and novel outcomes will inform evidence-based integration of acupuncture for older adults impacted by cancer. Acupuncture may complement survivorship care to support healthy ageing, particularly by addressing functional limitations and psychological distress.