Research articles in PubMed focusing on acupuncture and acupuncture in oncology from 1987 to 2007: 20-year trends in growth and international contribution

The purpose of this literature search was to assess the trend in the number of acupuncture articles, particularly related to oncology, published in the PubMed database in the past twenty years. Searches were conducted for articles published between March 1987 and March 2007 and included geographic distribution by country. The analysis then focused on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating cancer patients. Within the twenty-year period, PubMed published 8276 articles related to acupuncture, with 255 specific to acupuncture in oncology. Articles relating to acupuncture increased from 323 in 1987 to 876 in 2007 (171% increase), while acupuncture in oncology articles have almost quadrupled from 8 to 38 (375% increase). Of the 255 articles, China published 66 articles (26%) and the United States published 68 (27%). Of note, 53 (78%) of the 68 United States articles were published in the past eight years. The United Kingdom was the next most represented, with 21 (8%) articles, followed by Russia and Germany with 12 and 10 articles, respectively. The number of RCTs (32) also had risen significantly since the first published study appeared in 1990, with 10 studies (31%) primarily focused on acupuncture for nausea and vomiting and 4 (13%) on cancer-related pain. Twenty-one (66%) of the RCTs reported positive results. There has been a definite upward trend in published acupuncture and oncology-related acupuncture journal articles in the past twenty years, particularly after 1997. Though the rates are high, the absolute numbers remain small. There is a continuing need for high quality acupuncture research studies in oncology.