Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Oct 23, 2025
Date Accepted: Mar 17, 2026
Acupuncture therapies for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in breast cancer patients: A protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis
ABSTRACT
Background:
As a prevalent side effect, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) brings the burden to the daily lives of breast cancer patients. Multiple clinical trials have suggested the validity of acupuncture in alleviating CINV, while the optimal therapy for various acupuncture methods has not been clarified. Consequently, this network meta-analysis protocol has the objective of analyzing and measuring the acupuncture methods.
Objective:
This systematic review and network meta-analysis aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of distinct acupuncture interventions for treating the CINV in breast cancer patients.
Methods:
Eight databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP Database, Wanfang Database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database) will be searched for eligible studies from their respective inception to July 2025. The language of published studies is limited to English and Chinese. The intensity of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and the clinical effectiveness rates are primary outcomes. Additionally, the recurrence rate, safety, and quality of life are secondary outcomes. We will use STATA and R to conduct the pairwise and network meta-analysis. Supposing the data are feasible, the subgroup analyses and meta-regression will be performed to investigate the possible causes of heterogeneity. We will estimate the quality of evidence in our review.
Results:
Based on the data on the clinical effectiveness rates, visual analogue scale, recurrence rates, quality of life and adverse event rates, this study will offer a high-quality analysis about the efficacy and safety of CINV for breast cancer.
Conclusions:
This analysis will expand the range of evidence-based acupuncture options available to clinicians for treating breast cancer-related chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Clinical Trial: PROSPERO CRD420251030300
Citation
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