Hurlow, A., Bennett, M.I., Robb, K.A., Johnson, M.I., Simpson, K.H., & Oxberry, S.G. (2012). Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) for cancer pain in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 3, CD006276.

To review and summarize the evidence regarding the effect of transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) for management of cancer-related pain

The type of study is systematic review.

Databases searched were MEDLINE, CINAHL, PEDro, AMED, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials.

An extensive listing of search terms per database are provided.

Studies were included in the review if they evaluated TENS-administered monophasic or biphasic pulsed electrical currents, reported on participants 18 years or older, and were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) not involving active treatment control.

Studies reporting on percutaneous interventions were excluded.

The total of four references were retrieved.

The Jadad scale was used for evaluation as well as the Cochrane risk of bias tool.

Three studies were included in the review; two studies were added to prior review of two studies.

Sample range across studies was 15–49, with a total of 68 patients included in the review.

Results were inconclusive due to lack of suitable RCTs for inclusion. One study indicated that bone pain may improve with TENS, but this was not well designed and underpowered. Two studies showed no significant difference with TENS.

No conclusions regarding the effectiveness of TENS can be made.

• The review included few studies with variable quality.
• Studies were underpowered.

There is insufficient evidence to determine whether TENS is effective for management of pain in patients with cancer.