Acupuncture for mammary gland hyperplasia: A Bayesian network meta-analysis protocol

BACKGROUND: Multiple randomized controlled trials have shown that acupuncture (ACU) work well in the treating mammary gland hyperplasia, which has been widely used in hospitals of China. Although the choices of ACU treatments varies in practice, most are based on experience or preference. Therefore, we outline a plan to assess and rank the efficacy of the various ACU methods to formulate a prioritized regimen for mammary gland hyperplasia in ACU therapy. METHODS: We will make a comprehensive retrieval in 7 databases as following: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China BioMedical Literature, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journals Database, and Wanfang database. The time is limited from the construction of the library to June 2020. We will evaluate the quality and the evidence of the included randomized controlled trials by the risk of bias tool and grading of recommendations assessment, development and evaluation, respectively. Bayesian network meta-analysis will be conducted using Stata16.0 and WinBUGS V.1.4.3. RESULTS: The results of this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSIONS: Our study is expected to provide high-quality, evidence-based recommendations on further treatment of MGH for clinicians. REGISTRATION: PROSPERO (registration number CRD42020158743).