Table 5. Clinical Studies of Acupuncture: Radiation-Induced Xerostomiaa
| Reference Citation(s) | Type of Study | Condition Treated | No. of Patients: Enrolled; Treated; Controlb | Strongest Benefit Reportedc | Concurrent Therapy (Yes/No/ Unknown)d | Level of Evidence Scoree |
| [56] | RCT | Radiation-induced xerostomia | 12; 12; sham: non-active acupuncture points located 2 cm away from real points | Improved symptoms | Unknown | 1iiC |
| [57] | RCT | Radiation-induced xerostomia | 38; 20; 18 | Increased salivary flow rates | Unknown | 1iiC |
| [58] | RCT | Xerostomia | 21; 11; 10 | Increased salivary flow rates | Unknown | 1iiC |
| [59] | RCT | Radiation-induced xerostomia | 23; 11; 12 | Increased salivary flow rates | Unknown | 1iiC |
| [59] | RCT | Radiation-induced xerostomia | 86; 40; 46 | Symptoms improved | Unknown | 1iiC |
| [60] | RCT with crossover | Radiation-induced xerostomia | 145; 75; 70 | Symptoms improved | No | 1iiC |
| [61] | Pilot study | Radiation-induced xerostomia | 20; 19; none | Improved symptoms | Unknown | 2C |
| [62] | CT | Radiation-induced xerostomia | 12; 12; none | Symptoms improved | Unknown | 2C |
| [63] | CT | Radiation-induced xerostomia | 12; 12; none | Symptoms improved | Unknown | 2C |
| [64] | CT | Radiation-induced xerostomia | 18; 18; none | Reduced xerostomia | Yes (pilocarpine) | 2C |
| [65] | CT | Xerostomia | 70; 21; none | Reduced xerostomia | Unknown | 2C |
| [66] | CT | Xerostomia | 17; 14; none | Increased salivary flow rates | Unknown | 2C |
| [67] | CT | Xerostomia | 20; 20; none | Symptoms improved | Unknown | 2C |
| [68] | CT | Xerostomia | 17; 10; none | Increased salivary flow rates | Unknown | 2C |
| [69] | Nonconsecutive case series | Xerostomia | 14; 8 acupuncture; none | Symptoms improved | No | 3iiiC |
| [9] | Nonconsecutive case series | Xerostomia after radiation therapy in patients with cancer | 13; 13 acupuncture; none | Symptoms improved | Yes (not specified) | 3iiiC |
| CT = controlled trial; No. = number; RCT = randomized controlled trial. | ||||||
| aRefer to text and the NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms for additional information and definition of terms. | ||||||
| bNumber of patients treated plus number of patient controls may not equal number of patients enrolled; number of patients enrolled equals number of patients initially considered by the researcher who conducted a study; number of patients treated equals number of enrolled patients who were given the treatment being studied AND for whom results were reported. | ||||||
| cStrongest evidence reported that the treatment under study has anticancer activity or otherwise improves the well-being of cancer patients. | ||||||
| dConcurrent therapy for symptoms treated (not cancer). | ||||||
| eFor information about levels of evidence analysis and an explanation of the level of evidence scores, refer to Levels of Evidence for Human Studies of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine. |
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