Efficacy of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation in Management of Cancer Pain: a Meta Analysis

Purpose of review: The present investigation assesses efficacy of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on relief of cancer or chemotherapy-related pain. Patients with cancer experience a relatively high prevalence of pain that is reportedly undertreated. Therefore, this analysis is pertinent to determine if TENS is a useful complementary therapy considering its increase in accessibility and minimal side effect profile.

Recent findings: A systematic search for eligible studies from PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane, and Embase was performed. The present investigation elucidated any significant differences between change in numeric rating scale of average and maximum pain scores between a TENS and non-TENS group. A nonsignificant difference was reported between TENS and non-TENS, with a mean difference of - 0.393 (95% CI - 1.780, 0.993; P = 0.578). For change in maximum pain reported, a nonsignificant difference was also found, with a mean difference of 0.128 (95% CI - 1.158, 1.414; P = 0.845).

Conclusion: Related to various limitations of this meta-analysis, no definitive conclusions could be concluded regarding efficacy of TENS in the treatment of cancer or chemotherapy-related pain. Additional randomized primary studies with standardized treatment protocols and pain measurements are needed for future meta-analysis and recommendations for clinical practice.