Effect of complementary and alternative medicine interventions on cancer related pain among breast cancer patients: A systematic review

Objective: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the efficacy of CAM interventions for cancer-related pain in breast cancer patients. Methods: Databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and EMBASE) were searched from January 1, 2000, up to April 31, 2019, using the keywords: Complementary and alternative medicine therapies and cancer related pain. Standard tools were used to evaluate the quality of the studies included. Results: Of the 3742 articles found, 46 articles comprising 3685 participants entered the final phase. Our results indicate that interventions including acupuncture/acupressure, tai chi/qi gong, hypnosis, meditation, music therapy, yoga, massage, reflexology, and Reiki improve cancer-related pain in breast cancer patients. However, aromatherapy had no effect on the same. Conclusions: Despite the positive effect of various CAM interventions in reducing cancer-related pain, necessary precautions should be adopted to use them alongside other treatments to control cancer pain in the clinical setting.