Acupuncture for cancer-related hiccups: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND: Hiccups are involuntary contractions of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles, which lead to sudden contractions of the glottis. CAM, such as acupuncture is commonly used and stimulation of the vagus nerve and interference with phrenic nerve conduction are also used to treat hiccups. However, there is little evidence on the effectiveness of acupuncture for cancer-related hiccups. We will plan to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs to evaluate the current evidence on the effects of acupuncture for cancer-related hiccups. METHOD: The following databases will be searched: PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Wanfang Data, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), SinoMed, VIP, Medline, Embase, and EI. Randomized controlled trials will be included to evaluate the effect and safety of acupuncture on cancer patients with hiccups. We will set standards for the curative effect on the basis of the standard of cure and improvement for clinical disease diagnoses. The risk of bias will be assessed by the Cochrane risk of bias tool. We will conduct a meta-analysis and sensitivity analysis, as well as a subgroup analysis if high heterogeneity is present, using Revman 5.3. We will use funnel plots to identify potential reporting biases. We will test asymmetry using Egger test. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) will be used to evaluate the quality of evidence. RESULTS: This study will be to assess the effect and safety of acupuncture for cancer-related hiccups. CONCLUSIONS: This study will assess the effect of acupuncture for cancer-related hiccups and provide reliable evidence for the choice of treatments.