Acupuncture in the management of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in adults

Abstract

Overview of the topic: Peripheral neuropathy refers to the condition in which the peripheral nervous system is damaged, causing muscle weakness, pain, and a burning sensation in the individual’s extremities (Boulton, 2005). Peripheral neuropathy is a common side effect of chemotherapy treatment. As a result, a large portion of oncology patients suffer from this condition. This dissertation reviewed the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy in the management and reduction of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) symptoms. The research question: Is acupuncture effective in relieving symptoms when compared to no acupuncture, in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy? PICO elements: Population (P): Adults experiencing chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. The Intervention (I) observed: Acupuncture. Comparison (C) made with: No acupuncture. Desired Outcome (O): Symptom relief of CIPN. Methods: The keywords identified as the PICO elements, together with their synonyms were entered into online databases to retrieve literature. The databases used were PubMed, Academic Search Ultimate, CINAHL Complete, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, APA Psych INFO, and ProQuest. Inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the PRISMA (2009) Checklist were applied to narrow down the results. A critical appraisal of the articles was conducted with the guidance of the CASP tool. Results: Four articles were identified: one systematic review and three randomised control trials (RCT). Most of the studies reported significant improvement between the treatment and control groups. The results are inconsistent as one RCT did not report significant improvement between the treatment group and the control group. Conclusion: Although the results were inconclusive, acupuncture has shown promising outcomes in managing and reducing CIPN symptoms. Nonetheless, further research is necessary to answer the research question. Implications and recommendations: Recommendations for practice include offering acupuncture as one of the therapies offered by support services at SAMOC. Recommendations for education include incorporating the benefits of complementary therapies in the nursing degree programme and in continuing education programmes. Recommendations for management includes holding seminars or online meetings to educate healthcare workers on acupuncture as a treatment option for their patients. Recommendations for further research includes increasing the population size of the trials. Local research should also be conducted.