Effects of acupoint-stimulation for the treatment of cancer-related fatigue: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is one of the most commonly found problems among the cancer survivors which affect all aspects of quality of life (QOL), but it is a treatable problem. CRF is the highly prevalent and debilitating symptom experienced by most of the cancer patients at diagnosis, which increase during therapy and often seen for considerable period of time (months and years) after well-structured cancer diagnosis. Globally, around 50%–90% of the cancer patients experiences the difficulties of cancer-related fatigue, the latter number resemble to the patients subjected to active anticancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy. CRF has been well-defined as per the guiding principle of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) as “a distressing, persistent, subjective sense of tiredness or exhaustion related to cancer or cancer treatment that is not proportional to recent activity and interferes with usual functioning.” Although a lot of evidence and research findings on CRF have been provided within the last two decades, CRF is still underreported, underdiagnosed, and undertreated. Effective management of CRF is important for patients and challenging for clinicians. Acupuncture and moxibustion appeared an efficacious auxiliary therapeutic method for CRF.