Efficacy and safety of acupuncture combined with analgesics on lung cancer pain: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer (LC) is the malignant tumor with the highest incidence in the world, and treatment methods include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. Cancer pain is a common symptom in patients with LC, and the clinical treatment is to relieve it with analgesics. Acupuncture can relieve cancer pain. This study aims to systematically study the efficacy and safety of acupuncture combined with analgesics on cancer pain in patients with LC. METHODS: From the beginning to April 2021, search Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Controlled Trials Register (Central), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), and Chinese Science Journal Database (VIP database). Search the international clinical trial registration platform and the Chinese clinical trial registration platform to find ongoing or unpublished trials. The main outcome indicator is the total effective rate of analgesia, and the secondary outcome indicator is pain intensity score and adverse reactions. The RevMan 5.4 software will be used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: This study will provide the latest evidence for acupuncture combined with analgesics to relieve LC pain. CONCLUSION: The conclusion of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture combined with analgesics in alleviating LC pain. INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202150051