Efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine External Therapies for Chemotherapy-Induced Myelosuppression: A Network Meta-Analysis

DOI: 10.12201/bmr.202604.00104

•  

  Abstract: Objective: To evaluate the effects of different traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) external therapies on post-chemotherapy myelosuppression by network Meta-analysis.Methods:CNKI,WanFang Data,VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, the Cochrane Library,EMbase,and Web of Science were electronically searched to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on different TCM external therapies for post-chemotherapy myelosuppression, with the retrieval period ranging from database establishment to November 2025. Two researchers independently performed literature screening, quality assessment, and data extraction, and R 4.2.2 software was used for network Meta-analysis. Results:A total of 29 literatures were included, involving 2292 participants (1151 in the experimental group and 1141 in the control group) and covering 17 types of TCM external therapies. The results showed that for increasing white blood cell count, Thunder Fire Moxibustion (SUCRA=0.92), acupoint injection combined with moxibustion (SUCRA=0.75), and acupoint injection (SUCRA=0.74) had the optimal efficacy; for improving neutrophil count, acupoint injection (SUCRA=0.96), grain-sized moxibustion (SUCRA=0.76), and acupoint injection combined with moxibustion (SUCRA=0.64) performed the best; the optimal schemes for increasing hemoglobin were acupoint injection combined with moxibustion (SUCRA=0.88), medicine-separated moxibustion (SUCRA=0.86), and Thunder Fire Moxibustion (SUCRA=0.64); and for improving platelet count, Thunder Fire Moxibustion (SUCRA=0.97), acupoint injection combined with moxibustion (SUCRA=0.80), and grain-sized moxibustion (SUCRA=0.73) were outstanding. Conclusions:TCM external therapies can effectively improve post-chemotherapy myelosuppression, with TCM acupoint injection and Thunder Fire Moxibustion recommended as the preferred intervention techniques; individualized regimens can be selected clinically based on patients specific abnormal blood indicators. Due to the quantity and quality of the included literatures, more high-quality, large-sample, and long-term follow-up RCTs are required for further verification.

  Key words: traditional Chinese medicine external therapy; chemotherapy; myelosuppression; network Meta-analysis; evidence-based nursing

  Submit time: 13 April 2026

  Copyright: The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted biomedRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.
• html

• 图表

• Zhangshujun, Fanmingming. The Efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy in Improving the Clinical Symptoms of Hyperuricemia：A Network Meta-analysis. 2026. doi: 10.12201/bmr.202601.00029

  Research Progress on Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for Chemotherapy-Induced Myelosuppression in Gastrointestinal Malignancies. 2025. doi: 10.12201/bmr.202506.00008

  Lei Genping, #Wang Ting, Dong Sheng, Xie Jiongdong, Lu Xian, Yang Dong. Safety and effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine compound in treating idiopathic membranous Nephropathy Network Meta-analysis. 2024. doi: 10.12201/bmr.202412.00003

  Zhangshaoqiang. Network Meta-analysis of Different Efficacy Combinations of Traditional Chinese Medicine Compounds Combined With Conventional Western Medicines in the Treatment of Coronary Heart Disease Combined with Depression. 2024. doi: 10.12201/bmr.202410.00055

  HE Yana. Meta-analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis of Traditional Chinese Medicine External Application for the Treatment of Infusion Phlebitis. 2025. doi: 10.12201/bmr.202509.00044

  YANGHUADI, LIHUI, ZHANGCHEN, MAOPEIYU. Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy and Safety of Traditional Chinese Medicine or Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for Endometriosis. 2026. doi: 10.12201/bmr.202602.00053

  JIANG Yunlan, LI Le, CHEN Hong, WANG Jing, ZHANG Mengjie, BAI Xiaoyu, WU Senlin. Risk factors of hospital infection in patients with multiple myeloma after chemotherapy: A Meta-analysis. 2025. doi: 10.12201/bmr.202501.00012

  GU Yanhong. Study and evaluation of diagnostic methods for HIV co-infection with tuberculosis: a network meta-analysis. 2024. doi: 10.12201/bmr.202411.00005

  WANG Lushan, CUI Lu, QUAN Xiaohui, HU Lidan, HE Zhengqiong. Clinical evidence mapping analysis of Chinese medicine external treatment for Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia. 2026. doi: 10.12201/bmr.202608.00029

  刘佳佳, ren yan na, liu ding ding, tian chen kai, wu yuan hua. Meta-analysis of Diversified Acupuncture and Medication Therapy for Vascular Dementia. 2026. doi: 10.12201/bmr.202603.00065

• ID	Submit time	Number	Download
  1	2026-02-19	10.12201/bmr.202604.00104V1	Download

• Public  Anonymous  To author only Submit Comments