Rajasekaran, M., Edmonds, P.M., & Higginson, I.L. (2005). Systematic review of hypnotherapy for treating symptoms in terminally ill adult cancer patients. Palliative Medicine, 19, 418–426.
DOI Link
Search Strategy
Databases searched were MEDLINE and Index Medicus, EMBASE, CINAHL, CancerLIT, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AHMED), PsycINFO, CISCOM, Cochrane Database, and Database of Abstracts and Reviews of Effects (DARE).
Literature Evaluated
The search yielded 27 studies from 1974–2003, only one of which was a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Authors analyzed only the RCT.
Results
Results of one RCT documented effectiveness of hypnotherapy in treating symptoms in terminally ill adult cancer patients.
Limitations
The lack of well-designed studies to be analyzed calls for further research, involving effectively designed studies, to establish the effectiveness of hypnotherapy.