Complementary and alternative therapies for symptom clusters in cancer patients:a scoping review / 现代临床护理

ABSTRACT

Objective To identify the characteristics of complementary and alternative therapies for cancer patients and investigate the effect on symptom clusters in cancer patients,in order to provide references in management of the symptom clusters.Methods A scoping review was conducted to search nine databases,namely PubMed,Cochrane Library,Web of Science,Embase,PsycINFO,CINAHL,CNKI,Wanfang Data,and VIP,for literatures published between January 2016 and January 2024.Results Twenty articles focusing on complementary and alternative therapies were included.Four themes were identified from the retrieved articles:cancer research subjects,characteristics of complementary alternative therapies,type of symptom cluster and effectiveness of complementary alternative therapies.Specifically,the cancer research subjects in relation to symptom cluster management included those of breast cancer,advanced cancer and the cancer under radio or chemotherapy.The most commonly used types of complementary and alternative therapies in managing the symptom clusters were exercise therapies,cognitive-behavioural interventions,traditional Chinese medicine therapies,multidisciplinary collaborative models and specific interventions.Interventions for symptom clusters predominantly targeted fatigue,mental status,pain,and gastrointestinal symptoms.Conclusion The interventions for symptom clusters in complementary and alternative therapies vary across different types of complementary and alternative therapies,so as the effectiveness.Some of the complementary and alternative therapies have unidentified effects and further investigations are required.The complementary and alternative therapies currently that have been used in managing the symptom clusters were found to have shortcomings.Further studies should focus on sentinel and core symptoms of symptom clusters and emphasize the development of standardised and individualised intervention plans based on symptom management theories,hence to improve the management of symptom clusters in cancer patients.