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Cited by 66Complementary and Alternative Medicine StudiesCancer survivorship and careMedical Research and Treatments

Effectiveness of Complementary Therapies in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review

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Guerra-Martín, María Dolores, Tejedor-Bueno, María Sandra, Correa-Casado, Matías·2021·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
DOI 10.3390/ijerph18031017PMC PMC7908482
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Abstract

According to the World Health Organization, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the world. In Spain, about a quarter of a million cases were diagnosed in 2017, and 81% of the Spanish population has used, at least once, some kind of complementary therapy. Said therapies are increasingly being used by cancer patients. The purpose of the study is to analyse the effectiveness of complementary therapies among cancer patients. A systematic peer review was conducted following the PRISMA-ScR guide in four databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus and WOS). The inclusion criteria were Randomised Clinical Trials, published between 2013 and 2018, with a value of 3 or more on the Jadad Scale. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42019127593). The study sample amounted to 1845 patients (64.55% women), the most common being breast cancer patients (794), followed by lung cancer patients (341). Fifteen complementary therapies were identified. We found two studies for each of the following: electroacupuncture, phytotherapy, hypnotherapy, guided imagery and progressive muscle relaxation. From the remaining ones, we identified a study on each therapy. The findings reveal some effective complementary therapies: auriculotherapy and acupuncture, laser moxibustion, hypnosis, Ayurveda, electroacupuncture, progressive muscle relaxation and guided imagery, yoga, phytotherapy, music therapy and traditional Chinese medicine. On the other hand, electroacupuncture, laser moxibustion and traditional Chinese medicine presented adverse effects, and kinesiology did not show effectiveness.

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  • Several studies have reported clinical benefits of hypnotic, meditative, and psychedelic trances on pain, emotional regulation, sleep, fatigue, stress, cognitive difficulties, and quality of life.

    “Several studies have reported some clinical benefits of hypnotic, meditative and psychedelic trances on pain, emotional regulation, sleep, fatigue, stress, cognitive difficulties and quality of life [43–48].”

    From Scoping review on shamanistic trances practices (2024) · cites this paper as [45]

    The Discussion (page unavailable) reports improvements in pain, fatigue and sleep disturbance with hypnosis, and lower anxiety with meditation in patients with cancer. It does not report benefits of psychedelic trances or substantiate the full list of outcomes, particularly cognitive difficulties and quality of life, for the therapies named in the claim. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Guerra-Martín, M. D., Tejedor-Bueno, M. S., & Correa-Casado, M.
Affiliations
  • Universidad de Sevilla (ES)
  • Department of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medicine, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain
Corresponding author
Guerra-Martín, María Dolores
ORCID
Venue
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2021-01-24
Volume
18
Issue
3
Pages
1017
ISSN
1660-4601 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/ijerph18031017
PMC
PMC7908482
OpenAlex
W3123177538
Cited by
66
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 1
FWCI
2.18
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RISalud Institutional Health Repository of Andalucía (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • Deposito de Investigacion Universidad de Sevilla (University of Seville) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Repositorio de Patentes de la Universidad de Almería (Universidad de Almería) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer survivorship and care
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Medical Research and Treatments
Keywords
complementary therapy, cancer patients, electroacupuncture, auricular acupuncture, hypnotherapy, guided imagery, progressive muscle relaxation, herbal medicine, music therapy, yoga, Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, adverse effects, breast cancer, lung cancer
MeSH terms
Complementary Therapies, Female, Humans, Male, Moxibustion, Neoplasms, Spain, Acupuncture Therapy, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

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