Journal of Pain Research (May 2024)
The Effectiveness and Safety of Acupuncture for Mammary Hyperplasia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Abstract
Jifeng Li,1 Dongxiao Zhang,1 Jing Hu,1 Jianchun Cui,2 Khattak Mazher Mansoor2 1Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Liaoning Provincial People’s Hospital (Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, People’s Hospital of China Medical University), Shenyang, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Dongxiao Zhang, Department of Galactophore, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, No. 23, Art Museum Back Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100010, People’s Republic of China, Tel +8617864190977, Email [email protected]: This study aims to systematically evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in treating mammary hyperplasia.Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in various databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, SinoMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and VIP Database, from their inception until July 2023. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) researching the use of acupuncture for mammary hyperplasia were included. Quality assessment and data analysis were performed using RevMan 5.3 software.Results: Eight RCTs, comprising 573 patients, were included in this analysis. The meta-analysis revealed that in the acupuncture group, the experimental group was better than the control group in improving breast pain, breast lump extent, and the texture of breast lump (P=0.0007, I2=61%; P=0.02, I2=0%; P=0.0002, I2=0%). We found that both could be improved, but after statistical analysis, there was no significant advantage in the acupuncture group compared with the patent Chinese medicine group (p> 0.05).Conclusion: Acupuncture appears to be an effective and safe treatment for mammary hyperplasia, providing pain relief and reducing mass volume, texture, and extent. However, the insufficient quality of the available evidence indicates the need for further methodologically rigorous and convincingly designed studies to determine the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of breast hyperplasia.Keywords: acupuncture, mammary hyperplasia, efficacy, meta-analysis, review, safety
