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| Author (year) | Diagnosis | Cancer pain type | Sample sizes (M/F) | Age (year) | Randomized method | Interventions | Acupoint selection | Course of treatment | Outcome measures |
|
| Alimi et al. 2003 [23] | Head and neck cancer, breast cancer, Lung cancer, and others | Attained a pain level evaluated at 30 mm or more on a VAS graduated from 0 to 100 mm | E: 28 | Not reported | Computer software | E : Auricular acupuncture (at points where an electrical response had been detected) | At points where an electrodermal signal had been detected | Two courses | Pain relief measured by VAS |
| C: 23 | C : Placebo auricular acupuncture (at placebo points) |
| Ruela et al. 2018 [24] | Breast cancer and others | Pain ≥ four in the numerical pain scale | E: 11 | E: 58.27 ± 10.09 | Simple | E : Auricular acupuncture (5–7 needles, 40 min/time, 7 d/session) | E: Shenmen, kidney, sympathetic, muscle relaxation and the energy balance points | Eight sessions | Pain relief by NRS |
| C: 12 | C: 52.08 ± 7.99 | Randomization (biased coin method) | C : Auricular acupuncture at fixed placebo points (2 needles, 40 min/time, 7 d/session) | C: The eye and trachea points |
| Chen et al. 2013 [25] | Stage IV tumor | Moderate to severe cancer pain | E: 88 (46/42) | E: 58.32 ± 10.54 | Not reported | E : Ear acupoint injection (IS) (2–3 points, 1/day, 7 days), plus drug | Corresponding points of main organs invaded by cancer | One course | Pain relief measured by NRS/Onset and maintenance time of analgesia/quality of life/adverse effects rate |
| C: 91 (47/44) | C: 60.13 ± 9.76 | C : Drug (three-step analgesic ladder) |
| He and Chen 2019 [26] | Lung cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer | Moderate to severe cancer pain | E: 60 (35/25) | E: 58.59 ± 3.16 | Not reported | E : Auricular point sticking (7points, 2 min/point, 5/d, change/5 d), plus drug | Rectum, large intestine, subcortical, sanjiao, spleen, shenmen, sympathetic | Not reported | Pain relief measured by NRS/adverse effects rate |
| C: 60 (39/21) | C: 59.58 ± 3.55 | C : Drug (morphine, 10 mg/time, 2/d) |
| Jiang et al. 2019 [27] | Malignant tumor or bone metastasis | Moderate to severe cancer pain | E: 60 (29/31) | E: 45.67 ± 22.24 | Not reported | E : Auricular point sticking (5–6 points, 3-5 min/point, total 3 weeks) | Subcortical, shenmen, liver, sanjiao, sympathetic | Three weeks | Pain relief measured by NRS/quality of life/treatment compaliance |
| C: 60 (31/29) | C: 44.92 ± 24.13 | C : Drug (Oxycontin, 10 mg/time, 2/d, total 3 weeks) |
| Shen 2009 [28] | Advance d malignant tumor | Moderate to severe cancer pain | E: 23 (12/11) | E: 59.43 ± 10.43 | Not reported | E : Ear acupoint-injection (IS) (2–3 points, 1/day, 7 days.) | Corresponding points of main organs invaded by cancer | One course | Pain relief measured by NRS/onset and maintenance time of analgesia/quality of life |
| C: 25 (11/14) | C: 60.24 ± 9.92 | C : Drug (Oxycontin, 5–10 mg/time, 2/d.) |
| Sun and Zhang 2016 [29] | Lung cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer | Moderate cancer pain | E: 31 (17/14) | E: 68.40 ± 4.72 | Not reported | E : Auricular press needle (3–5 points, change/5 d, 10 days), plus drug. | Subcortical, shenmen, sympathetic, upper ear root, lower ear root | One course | Pain relief measured by NRS |
| C: 31 (15/16) | C: 65.90 ± 5.06 | C : Drug (tramadol hydrochloride, 100 mg/time, Q12H, 10 days) |
| Wang et al. 2015 [30] | Malignant tumor or bone metastasis | Moderate to severe cancer pain | E: 30 (23/27) | 2.87 ± 10.96 | Random number table | E : Ear point embedding (several points, 2–3 min/point, 3/d), plus drug. | Stomach, liver, spleen, cardia, sympathetic, shenmen, subcortical + corresponding points of main organs invaded by cancer | Not reported | Pain relief measured by NRS/adverse effects rate |
| C: 30 (23/27) | C : Drug |
| Wang et al. 2016 [31] | Advanced malignant tumor | Moderate to severe cancer pain | E: 60 (39/21) | E: 61.7 ± 7.1 | Random number table | E : Auricular point sticking (7 points, 2 min/point, 3–4/d, 7 days), plus drug. | Shenmen, sympathetic, subcortical, spleen, sanjiao, rectum, large intestine | One course | Pain relief measured by NRS/adverse effects rate |
| C: 60 (37/23) | C: 62.1 ± 6.7 | C : Drug (7 days) |
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