유방암 연관 림프부종 환측 상지에 대한 침 치료의 체계적 문헌고찰

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to analyze the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for treating the ipsilateral upper limb of breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL), thus providing a clinical basis for acupuncture treatment and develop clinical practice guideline on BCRL through consideration of commonly used meridians and acupoints. Methods: The researchers searched 7 databases including PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, CAJ, VIP, OASIS, and KISS. Studies on acupuncture for BCRL published up to June 30, 2025 were included. The participants, interventions, evaluation indicators and results of the selected studies were analyzed, and the quality assessment of studies was analyzed by ROB2. Results: 7 studies were finally included according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. In the treatment group, one trial used acupuncture alone, while six combined it with the same interventions applied to controls. The control group received conventional medicine or complex decongestive therapy. Although outcome measures varied from paper to paper, reduction in arm circumference was most common, with others including total efficacy rate, quality of life, symptom assessment, etc. Overall, the treatment group showed significantly greater improvements compared to the control group in most outcomes. Five studies reported adverse events, but no serious adverse events were observed. Conclusions: This study suggests that acupuncture has significant effects on reducing symptoms of BCRL and can be considered a safe therapeutic option. However, the findings should be interpreted cautiously, and further large-scale clinical studies are needed.