Combining acupuncture with medication appears most effective for preventing or relieving several radiation treatment side effects, while acupuncture alone may improve dry mouth saliva flow.
Researchers systematically searched nine bibliographic databases for randomized controlled trials published up to June 2020 that evaluated acupuncture-based therapies for adverse effects caused by radiation treatment. They assessed study quality using a standard bias assessment tool and compared multiple interventions through network meta-analysis, examining treatment rankings across radiation-related intestinal inflammation, low white blood cell counts, oral mucosal inflammation, and dry mouth.
Across the included studies, acupuncture combined with medication ranked most favorably for radiation-related intestinal inflammation and for preventing low white blood cell counts and oral mucosal inflammation, although moxibustion combined with medication ranked highest for low white blood cell prevention. Acupuncture alone ranked highest for improving stimulated saliva production in radiation-related dry mouth, and the stomach thirty-six point was the most commonly used acupuncture point.
