Context

Acupressure is a popular nonpharmacological intervention that is increasingly proven to effectively alleviate symptoms in patients with cancer. However, the effects of self-acupressure on cancer symptom management are less clear.

Objectives

This systematic review is the first to summarize the current experimental evidence on self-acupressure for symptom management in cancer patients.

Methods

Eight electronic databases were searched for experimental studies that examined self-acupressure for cancer patients with symptoms and published in peer-reviewed English or Chinese journals. The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool and the JBI critical appraisal checklist for quasi-experimental studies. Data were extracted as predefined and synthesized narratively. The Template for Intervention Description and Replication checklist was used to report the intervention characteristics.

Results

A total of 11 studies were included in this study, six as feasibility or pilot trials. The methodological quality of included studies was suboptimal. Substantial heterogeneity was observed in acupressure training, acupoint selection, intervention duration, dosage, and timing. Self-acupressure was only associated with reduced nausea and vomiting (P = 0.006 and P = 0.001).

Conclusion

The limited evidence from this review precludes the definitive conclusions on intervention effectiveness for cancer symptoms. Future research should consider developing the standard protocol for intervention delivery, improving the methodology of self-acupressure trials, and conducting large-scale research to advance the science of self-acupressure for cancer symptom management.

中文翻译：

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自我穴位按摩用于癌症患者症状管理：系统评价

语境

穴位按摩是一种流行的非药物干预措施，越来越多的证据表明它可以有效缓解癌症患者的症状。然而，自我穴位按摩对癌症症状管理的影响尚不清楚。

目标

这篇系统综述首次总结了目前自我穴位按摩用于癌症患者症状管理的实验证据。

方法

我们在八个电子数据库中检索了针对有症状的癌症患者进行自我指压按摩的实验研究，这些研究发表在同行评审的英文或中文期刊上。使用修订后的 Cochrane 偏倚风险评估工具和 JBI 准实验研究批判性评估清单对纳入研究的方法学质量进行了评估。数据按照预定义提取并以叙述方式综合。干预描述和复制清单模板用于报告干预特征。

结果

本研究共纳入 11 项研究，其中 6 项为可行性或试点试验。纳入研究的方法学质量欠佳。在指压训练、穴位选择、干预持续时间、剂量和时机方面观察到显着的异质性。自我穴位按摩仅与恶心和呕吐的减少相关（P  = 0.006 和P  = 0.001）。

结论

该综述的证据有限，无法就癌症症状的干预效果得出明确的结论。未来的研究应考虑制定干预措施的标准方案，改进自我指压试验的方法，并进行大规模研究以推进自我指压治疗癌症症状管理的科学。