Table 1.
Characteristics of each trial.
| Study | Design | Sample size | Intervention type | Control group | Moxibustion regimen | Outcome measure | Adverse events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zhong 2014 [26] | Parallel, 2 arms | 60 (30/30) | Ginger-partitioned moxibustion | Supportive treatment; ondansetron only in serious vomiting occurs |
From 3 days before to 14 days after chemotherapy, qd | WHO; KPS |
Not reported |
| Zhang 2008 [25] | Parallel, 3 arms | 90 (30/30/30) | Ginger-partitioned moxibustion | No treatment | During the chemotherapy, qd | EORTC QLQ-C30 v3.0; KPS |
No adverse events in both groups |
| Zhang 2016 [24] | Parallel, 2 arms | 60 (30/30) | Direct moxibustion | Conventional dosage of ondansetron | Once a day for 7 days | WHO; KPS |
Not reported |
| Ruan 2014 [18] | Parallel, 2 arms | 91 (45/46) | Herb-partitioned moxibustion | Ondansetron 8 mg, dexamethasone 5 mg, day 1 to day 3, qd omeprazole 40 mg day 4 to day 7, qd metoclopramide 10 mg, tid |
Once a day for 14 days | WHO | Not reported |
| Zhong 2011 [23] | Parallel, 2 arms | 58 (29/29) | Ginger-partitioned moxibustion | Granisetron hydrochloride 3 mg, before and after chemotherapy | Once a day for 3 days | WHO | Not reported |
| Xiang 2011 [21] | Parallel, 2 arms | 60 (30/30) | Direct moxibustion | Ondansetron hydrochloride 8 mg, before chemotherapy | 1 day before chemotherapy to 3 days after chemotherapy | WHO | Not reported |
| Wang 2010 [19] | Parallel, 2 arms | 60 (30/30) | Direct moxibustion | No treatment | During the chemotherapy, qd | WHO; KPS |
No adverse events in both groups |
| Zhou 2005 [20] | Parallel, 2 arms | 100 (50/50) | Direct moxibustion | Granisetron hydrochloride 30 mg, before chemotherapy | Twice a day for 7 days | ESMO | Not reported |
| Xu 2014 [22] | Parallel, 2 arms | 50 (25/25) | Ginger-partitioned moxibustion | Placebo moxibustion | From 5 days before to 60 days after chemotherapy, 3 times a week | EORTC QLQ-C30 v3.0; KPS |
Not reported |
| Liu 2010 [17] | Parallel, 2 arms | 62 (32/30) | Direct moxibustion | Conventional dosage of dexamethasone and ondansetron | Once a day for 7 days | WHO; KPS |
Not reported |
| Liang 2014 [16] | Parallel, 2 arms | 68 (34/34) | Ginger-partitioned moxibustion | Ranitidine 150 mg, granisetron 3 mg, and nutritional support | Once a day for 63 days | WHO; KPS |
Not reported |
| Hao 2014 [15] | Parallel, 2 arms | 61 (31/30) | Direct moxibustion | Conventional dosage of dexamethasone, tropisetron, promethazine, and cimetidine | During the chemotherapy, qd | ESMO; EORTC QLQ-C30 v3.0 |
Not reported |
| Gao 2015 [14] | Parallel, 2 arms | 60 (30/30) | Direct moxibustion | Conventional dosage of dexamethasone, tropisetron, and lansoprazole | During the chemotherapy, 6 times a week | ESMO; KPS |
Not reported |
| Li 2015 [27] | Parallel, 2 arms | 169 (85/84) | Moxa box moxibustion | Tropisetron hydrochloride 5 mg | Twice a day for 8 days | ESMO | Not reported |
| Ya 2010 [28] | Parallel, 2 arms | 24 (12/12) | Direct moxibustion | Conventional dosage of dexamethasone and ondansetron | Once a day for 5 days | EORTC QLQ-C30 v3.0 | Not reported |
| Zhang 2016 [29] | Parallel, 2 arms | 50 (25/25) | Direct moxibustion | Tropisetron 5 mg before chemotherapy | Once a day for 6 days | WHO | Not reported |
Notes. WHO: WHO criterion for the acute and subacute toxicity of anticancer agents, KPS: Karnofsky performance score, EORTC QLQ-C30 v3.0: the European Organization for Research on Treatment of Cancer's questionnaire to assess the quality of life v3.0, and ESMO: the Eastern Society for Medical Oncology criterion.