Acupuncture Research in Cancer
- Acupuncture PDQ – National Cancer Institute.
- Integrative Medicine in Blood Cancer – Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
- Acupuncture Helps Ease Side Effects and Symptoms in Some Cancers – MSKCC.
- Acupuncture Reduces Pain and Dysfunction in Head and Neck Cancer – MSKCC.
- Integrative Oncology in North America – Society of Integrative Oncology.
- Analgesic Effect of Auricular Acupuncture for Cancer pain.
- Acupuncture Makes Eating Easier after Cancer Treatment – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
- Acupuncture Eases Tamoxifen-related Hot Flashes.
- New Lung Cancer Guidelines Oppose Certain Vitamins, Suggest Acupuncture.
Acupuncture PDQ – National Cancer Institute.
Effect of Acupuncture on Immune Function: The first randomized controlled trial found that acupuncture treatment enhanced platelet count and prevented leukocyte decrease after radiation therapy or chemotherapy, in comparison with the control group.[1]
Effect of Acupuncture on Cancer Pain: In a case series involving 183 cancer patients who were treated with acupuncture for cancer-related pain, 52% were significantly helped (P value not stated).[14] Multiple treatments at intervals of 1 to 4 weeks were nearly always necessary for significant and long-term pain control.
Effect of Acupuncture on Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Of all the investigated effects of acupuncture on cancer-related or chemotherapy-related symptoms and disorders, the positive effect of acupuncture on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (N/V) is the most convincing, as demonstrated by the consistency of the results of a variety of clinical study types, including randomized clinical trials, nonrandomized trials, prospective consecutive case series, and retrospective studies (see table at end of this section). Consistent with the findings from clinical studies of acupuncture on N/V due to other causes such as postoperative N/V and morning sickness, these studies showed acupuncture to be effective in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced N/V. A well-documented example is discussed below.
Effect of Acupuncture on Cancer and Cancer Treatment-Related Side Effects: Nine studies have reported on the effects of acupuncture on cancer or other cancer treatment–related symptoms, including weight loss, cough, thoracodynia, hemoptysis, fever, anxiety, depression, night sweats, hot flashes, xerostomia, rectitis, dysphonia, esophageal obstruction, and postoperative lymphedema.[1,9,35-41] Four studies were from China,[1,37-39] one from Italy,[36] one from Japan,[40] and three from the United States.[9,35,41] Most were case studies or case series,[9,37-39] one was a retrospective survey study,[35] one was a phase I pilot study,[36] and two were randomized clinical trials.[1,41] The findings from these studies are summarized in a table at the end of this section.
To read more about this study, Click Here.
Integrative Medicine & Complementary and Alternative Therapies as Part of Blood Cancer Care – Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Excerpt: The use of IM has grown partly in response to efforts by patients to take a more active role in their health care and use therapies that focus on overall health and healing. IM combines CAM therapies, such as acupuncture, massage or meditation, with standard treatments (also called mainstream, conventional, Western, allopathic or proven treatments). Conventional cancer treatment includes the use of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery – alone or in combination. By integrating CAM therapies into conventional treatment plans, healthcare providers arebetter able to address the physical, emotional, spiritual and quality-of-life needs of their patients. There must be some scientific evidence that a CAM therapy is safe and effective before it can be recommended and used as part of a treatment plan.
Acupuncture can reduce chemotherapy-associated nausea and vomiting; additional evidence for this biologic effect was reported in a recent article that pooled the results of 11 trials (Cochrane, 2006); other studies show acupuncture can alleviate pain from surgery; still others are looking into whether acupuncture can combat treatment-related fatigue.
To read more about this study, Click Here
Acupuncture Helps Ease Side Effects and Symptoms in Some Cancers – Memorial Sloan-Kettering.
Acupuncture for Head and Neck Cancer: The study found that individuals in the group receiving acupuncture experienced significant reductions in pain and dysfunction when compared with individuals receiving standard care. Individuals in the acupuncture group also reported significant improvement in xerostomia, a condition in which patients receiving adjuvant radiation therapy experience extreme dry mouth.
Acupuncture and Leukemia : For some leukemia patients, cancer chemotherapy drugs can damage the peripheral nervous system (a condition known as peripheral neuropathy), causing pain, numbness, tingling, swelling, and muscle weakness in various parts of the body, especially in the hands and feet. In some cases, doctors must reduce the chemotherapy dose in order to prevent the neuropathy from progressing further. Acupuncture has been found to decrease these difficult neuropathy symptoms, allowing the maximum amount of chemotherapy to be used, thereby increasing the patient’s chance for a successful outcome.
Acupuncture and Breast Cancer: Both groups experienced significant decreases in hot flashes, depressive symptoms, and other quality-of-life symptoms. However, women in the group taking venlafaxine began to re-experience their symptoms about two weeks after stopping drug therapy. In comparison, it took 15 weeks for the symptoms to return for women in the group receiving acupuncture. In addition, women in the acupuncture group reported no significant side effects during treatment, while the group taking venlafaxine experienced 18 incidences of adverse effects, including nausea, dry mouth, dizziness, and anxiety.
To read more about this study, Click Here.
Acupuncture Reduces Pain and Dysfunction in Head and Neck Cancer after Neck Dissection – Memorial Sloan-Kettering.
Excerpt: Pain and mobility improved in 39 percent of the patients receiving acupuncture, compared to a 7 percent improvement in the group that received usual care. An added benefit of acupuncture was significant reduction of reported xerostomia, or extreme dry mouth. This distressing problem, common among cancer patients following radiotherapy in the head and neck, is addressed with only limited success by mainstream means.
“Like any other treatment, acupuncture does not work for everyone, but it can be extraordinarily helpful for many,” said Dr. Cassileth. “It does not treat illness, but acupuncture can control a number of distressing symptoms, such as shortness of breath, anxiety and depression, chronic fatigue, pain, neuropathy, and osteoarthritis.”
To read more about this study, Click Here.
Integrative Oncology in North America – Society of Integrative Oncology.
Abstract: Integrative oncology is an evolving evidence-based specialty that uses complementary therapies in concert with medical treatment to enhance its efficacy, improve symptom control, alleviate patient distress and reduce suffering. In North America the evolution of research into complementary therapies was delayed by the narrow focus of the Flexner Report. A government-funded research agenda and incorporation of complementary therapies into medical school curricula have been driven by early evidence of efficacy and patient demand. Integrative oncology focuses on the role of natural health products (botanicals, vitamins, and minerals), nutrition, acupuncture, meditation and other mind-body approaches, music therapy, touch therapies, fitness therapies, and more. Some natural health products, such as herbs and their constituent phytochemicals, may be biologic response modifiers that could increase cancer control. Current research stretches from the laboratory to health services. Institutions are exploring the effectiveness gap in their clinical services and are determining efficacy of complementary therapies through randomized controlled trials. Eventually, the goal is to establish practice guidelines through determining relative effectiveness and value through cost-utility studies. The aim of integrative oncology should be one medicine, not alternative; it should be patient-focused; it should be evidence-based; and it should provide the best care for cancer cure, prevention, symptom control, and quality of life.
Analgesic Effect of Auricular Acupuncture on Cancer Pain
Purpose: During the last 30 years, auricular acupuncture has been used as complementary treatment of cancer pain when analgesic drugs do not suffice. The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of auricular acupuncture in decreasing pain intensity in cancer patients.
Result(s): The main outcome was pain assessed at 2 months, with the assessment at 1 month carried over to 2 months for the eight patients who interrupted treatment after 1 month. For three patients, no data were available because they withdrew from the study during the first month. Pain intensity decreased by 36% at 2 months from baseline in the group receiving acupuncture; there was little change for patients receiving placebo (2%). The difference between groups was statistically significant (P < .0001).
Conclusion(s): The observed reduction in pain intensity measured on the VAS represents a clear benefit from auricular acupuncture for these cancer patients who are in pain, despite stable analgesic treatment.
David Alimi, Carole Rubino, Evelyne Pichard-Le´ andri, Sabine Fermand-Brule´ , Marie-Laure Dubreuil-Lemaire, and Catherine Hill; J Clin Oncol 21:4120-4126.
To read the full article, Clicke Here.
Acupuncture Makes Eating Easier after Cancer Treatment – Dana-Faber Cancer Institute.
Excerpt: Susan Keir loves dark chocolate. But a year ago, she couldn’t eat a piece without the need to wash it down with water; the chocolate tasted awful and was hard to swallow.
Radiation therapy for throat cancer in 2005 left the 57-year-old grappling with a dry mouth, damaged taste buds, and difficulty swallowing.
Then she met Weidong Lu, MPH, a licensed senior acupuncturist at Dana-Farber’s Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies. Keir can now enjoy her favorite Kit-Kat bars again, thanks to acupuncture.
A year of treatment with this Chinese practice, involving pinpricks with hair-thin needles to specific points on her face, neck, shoulders, hands and legs, has eased Keir’s problems related to insufficient saliva and inability to move food around in her mouth.
“I can now eat things like pasta sauce and tomato ketchup, which I couldn’t bear to put in my mouth before my acupuncture treatment,” she says.
To read more about this study, Click Here.
Acupuncture Eases Tamoxifen-related Hot Flashes – Reuters
Excerpt: NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A new study provides more evidence that acupuncture can help ease hot flashes in women with breast cancer who are being treated with the “anti-estrogen” drug tamoxifen. Acupuncture, researchers found, is free of side effects and has a side benefit for some women: an increased sex drive.
“Acupuncture appears to be at least as effective as drug therapy,” Dr. Eleanor M. Walker of Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and her colleagues report, “and it may provide additional and longer-term benefits without adverse effects.”
To read more about this study, Click Here.
New lung Cancer Guidelines Oppose Certain Vitamins, Suggest Acupuncture – Science Daily
Excerpt: For the first time, the ACCP lung cancer guidelines have included recommendations on mind-body modalities as part of a multimodality approach to reduce the anxiety, mood disturbances, and chronic pain associated with lung cancer.
Massage therapy is recommended for patients who are experiencing anxiety or pain, while acupuncture is recommended for patients experiencing fatigue, dyspnea, chemo-induced neuropathy, or in cases where pain or nausea/vomiting is poorly controlled.
To read more about this study, Click Here.
