[Meta-analysis of acupuncture and moxibustion for the therapeutic effect on postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction of gastric cancer].

OBJECTIVE

To systematically review the therapeutic effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction (GID) of gastric cancer with meta-analysis.

METHODS

The articles of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment for postoperative GID of gastric cancer were retrieved from the following databases from the time of database establishment to December 31, 2020, including PubMed, EMbase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang database, VIP database and China Biomedical Literature Database (SinoMed). RevMan5.3 software was used for meta-analysis. Using Stata16.0 software, sensitivity analysis and publication bias test were performed.

RESULTS

A total of 16 RCTs were included finally, including 1 360 patients, of which, there were 681 cases in the intervention group and 679 cases in the control group. Meta-analysis results showed that acupuncture and moxibustion shortened the time of first flatus (<0.000 01, =-14.52, 95% = [-17.31, -11.74]), the time of first bowel sound (<0.000 01, =-10.50, 95% =[-13.99, -7.01]) and the time of first defecation (<0.000 1, =-13.79, 95% =[-20.09, -7.50]). Meanwhile, acupuncture and moxibustion shortened the time of the first food intake (<0.000 1, =-3.23, 95% = [-3.45, -3.00]) and the hospital stay (<0.000 01, =-1.94, 95% =[-2.20, -1.69]) after gastric cancer operation, and reduced the incidences of postoperative adverse reactions, i.e. nausea and vomiting ( =0.000 3, =0.43, 95% =[0.28, 0.68]) and abdominal distention ( =0.000 5, =0.41, 95% =[0.25, 0.68]).

CONCLUSION

Acupuncture and moxibustion can promote the recovery of postoperative gastrointestinal function in the patients with gastric cancer. But, for the comparison among different measures of acupuncture and moxibustion intervention, it needs more high-quality trials for a further verification.