A new scientific analysis of dozens of studies of traditional Chinese medicine and other non-drug treatments has found they improve cancer patients' overall quality of life and help alleviate depression, fatigue, pain, anxiety, insomnia, and gastrointestinal problems.

The techniques — including acupuncture, Tai chi, Qigong, therapeutic massage, and five therapies involving musical intervention — were found to be highly beneficial, the researchers report in the journal Oncotarget.

"The meta-analysis confirmed that traditional Chinese medicine enhanced global quality of life for Chinese cancer patients," said University of Illinois animal sciences and pathology professor emeritus Keith Kelley, an author of the study.

Dr. Qiang (Quentin) Liu, a former student of Kelley's who now is at Dalian Medical University in China, called the analysis “the most comprehensive study of traditional Chinese medicine … and the quality of life of cancer patients published to date."

He added: "Our findings will promote more investigations into how the body and mind are connected during disease development, and will facilitate better cancer treatments."

The team evaluated 6,500 studies published in journals in China and 23,000 studies from Western journals examining non-pharmacological interventions involving adult Chinese cancer patients.

After eliminating duplicate or substandard studies, the researchers ended up with a total of 67 studies, with 16 of them focused on traditional Chinese medicine, involving more than 6,800 patients. The other studies examined non-drug approaches such as stress management, cognitive behavioral therapy, and physical training.

"Traditional Chinese medicine has been practiced for 2,500 years in China," Kelley said. "But what is the scientific evidence that it improves quality of life in cancer patients? This paper establishes that it does.

"Unfortunately, we were not able to determine what specific components of traditional Chinese medicine are the most effective."