Finnegan-John, J., Molassiotis, A., Richardson, A., & Ream, E. (2013). A systematic review of complementary and alternative medicine interventions for the management of cancer-related fatigue. Integrative Cancer Therapies, 12, 276–290.
To appraise the evidence of the effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) interventions in reducing cancer-related fatigue (CRF).
Databases searched were Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, British Nursing Index, and Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews (EBMR).
The specific MEDLINE search strategy was provided.
Studies were included in the review if
Studies were excluded from the review if they were psychosocial interventions.
In total, 2,398 references were retrieved. The Jadad scale was used to appraise study quality.
Patients were undergoing multiple phases of care.
During treatment, the intervention that seemed to be the most effective was hypnosis (one study), whereas ginseng provided promising results (one study). Massage, multivitamins, herbs, yoga, relaxation therapy, and combined education and acupuncture were less effective. Sound and reliable conclusions could not be drawn due to the poor quality of the studies and varying interventions, timings, and dosages. Most studies did not describe processes to ensure intervention integrity, and the “dose” was often not well reported.
Evidence from the trials reviewed was not sufficient to support the use of the interventions examined.
Current evidence suggests a very limited role of CAM to contribute to improvement in fatigue among patients with cancer.