In search of the evidence: a pilot study of acupuncture in cancer

Objective

To test procedures developed for a programme in which research evidence on complementary therapies in NHS priority areas, including cancer, will be collated and appraised. The aim of the programme is to examine evidence of effectiveness and adverse effects and assess relevance to clinical practice.

Materials and methods

A review of acupuncture in cancer was undertaken consisting of the following stages:

• a comprehensive search of electronic databases using a strategy specifically developed for this project
• assessment of the effectiveness of the search using a range of methods
• filtering articles and categorising according to the study design using a flow-chart based system
• appraisal of basic research methodology of relevant articles
• selection of articles for clinical commentaries by cancer and CAM clinical specialists and, where appropriate, by patient/user representatives

Results

Initial searches demonstrated variable rates of overlap between the major databases, e.g. 22% citations duplicated (Medline and EMBASE), 9% citations duplicated (Medline and AMED). Indexing of CAM study types also varied across the databases. Use of the flow-chart system aided categorisation but further development of this system was required.

Conclusion

The importance of a comprehensive search strategy is widely accepted. However, the inclusion of a range of study types in the review requires development and testing of additional procedures for searching, categorisation and appraisal. The report on this study will inform decisions throughout the review process.