Complementary and alternative medicine in relation to chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: A narrative review.

Purpose: To summarizes the available evidence on the effectiveness, safety, and feasibility of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the management of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN).

Methods: We searched for systematic reviews, and meta-analyzes published up to April 2023 in the Pubmed and Web of Science databases. The latest original research on related topics was also reviewed. The search was restricted to English-language papers. Two independent reviewers performed a quality assessment of the identified literature.

Results: The results of 35 systematic reviews and meta-analyzes were included in this study. Preliminary evidence suggests that CAM, including acupuncture, physical activity (PA), herbal and nutritional supplements, mind-body therapies, touch therapy, and non-invasive neuromodulation techniques, have shown tremendous potential for the prevention and treatment of CIPN. Of these, there is strong evidence supporting acupuncture, PA, and herbal medicine. However, existing clinical studies are also limited by the heterogeneity of study methods, insufficient sample size, and poor study design. Further studies are needed to validate the efficacy of CAM in patients with CIPN and to elucidate potential therapeutic mechanisms.

Conclusions: Current research has reached a preliminary conclusion suggesting the potential efficacy of certain CAMs in the management of CIPN. Future clinical trials should incorporate more robust study design protocols and larger sample sizes to enhance the validity of findings.