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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Oncol.
Sec. Gynecological Oncology
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1456809
This article is part of the Research Topic Uterine Fibroid Surgery in Gynecology and Obstetrics and Reproduction: Lights and Shadows View all 11 articles

Acupuncture combined with Chinese herbs versus Chinese herbs alone to improve the clinical efficacy of uterine fibroids: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Provisionally accepted
Tianyu Chen Tianyu Chen 1*Xin Chen Xin Chen 2Wei He Wei He 2*Xiaojing Ma Xiaojing Ma 2*Zheng Zuo Zheng Zuo 2*
  • 1 Other, China, China
  • 2 Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of acupuncture combined with Chinese herbs versus Chinese herbs alone in treating uterine fibroids..A literature search of eight databases identified nine randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the clinical efficacy of acupuncture combined with Chinese herbs compared to Chinese herbs alone for treating uterine fibroids. Subsequently, data extraction and analysis were conducted to assess the methodological quality and risk of bias in the studies, followed by an analysis of the data from the randomized controlled trials.Results: Nine randomized controlled trials involving 640 women were included. The results indicated that acupuncture combined with Chinese herbs significantly increased the overall clinical efficacy rate [Z=5.00, P=0.74, relative risk(RR)1.20, 95%CI 1.12 to 1.30, P<0.00001, I²=0%] and reduced the size of uterine fibroids [Z=2.95, P=0.003, SMD=-0.82, 95%CI -1.36 to -0.27, P<0.00001, I²=90%].Studies have shown that acupuncture combined with Chinese herbs reduces uterine size, lowers hormone levels, and improves quality of life. According to the findings of this study, acupuncture combined with Chinese herbs has a more positive effect on the treatment of uterine fibroids than Chinese herbs alone. However, due to the limited number and quality of the included studies, these conclusions need to be validated by further high-quality research.

    Keywords: Acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, Uterine fibroids, clinical efficacy, Systematic review, Meta-analysis

    Received: 29 Jun 2024; Accepted: 04 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Chen, Chen, He, Ma and Zuo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Tianyu Chen, Other, China, China
    Wei He, Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan Province, China
    Xiaojing Ma, Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan Province, China
    Zheng Zuo, Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.