DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Acupuncture as a Complementary Treatment for Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy

  • Tas, Demet (Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine Department, Ministry of Health) ;
  • Uncu, Dogan (Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital Medical Oncology Clinic) ;
  • Sendur, Mehmet Ali (Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital Medical Oncology Clinic) ;
  • Koca, Nuran (Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital Medical Oncology Clinic) ;
  • Zengin, Nurullah (Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital Medical Oncology Clinic)
  • Published : 2014.04.01

Abstract

Background: Medical treatment for eliminating the side effects of cancer therapy may not always be efficacious. Acupuncture is one of the most widely accepted alternative and complementary therapies in use today. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of acupuncture in patients experiencing cancer treatment side effects, including nausea, vomiting, pain, poor sleep quality and anxiety. Materials and Methods: A total of 45 inpatients who underwent chemotherapy between February and April 2013 in the Oncology Department of Numune Hospital were included in our study. Acupuncture was administered to the patients one day prior to chemotherapy, on the day of chemotherapy and one day after chemotherapy. The patients were evaluated on nausea, vomiting, pain, sleep quality and anxiety before the chemotherapy and on the $4^{th}$ day of chemotherapy. Results: Of the 45 patients included in the study, 18 (40%) were female and 27 (60%) were male. A total of 25 (55.6%) had an elementary school education; 32 patients (71%) had stage 4 cancer and were treated with palliative chemotherapy (the patient characteristics are shown in Table 1). Statistically significant decreases (p<0.001) in pain, nausea, vomiting, insomnia and anxiety scores were observed after the acupuncture treatment compared to baseline. There were no differences in the age, gender, education level, stage or metastasis levels between the patient groups whose symptoms improved or were unchanged. Conclusions: Our study showed that acupuncture has positive effects in cancer treatment patients who experience nausea, vomiting, pain, poor sleep quality and anxiety as side effects of chemotherapy. Chemotherapy-related side effects in cancer patients could be decreased by the concurrent use of acupuncture.

Keywords

References

  1. Alimi D, Rubino C, Pichard-Leandri E, et al (2003). Analgesic effect of auricular acupuncture for cancer pain: a randomized, blinded, controlled trial. J Clin Oncol, 21, 4120-6. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2003.09.011
  2. Bai L, Yan H, Li L, et al (2010). Neural specificity of acupuncture stimulation at pericardium 6: evidence from n FMRI study. J Magn Reson Imaging, 31, 71-7. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmri.22006
  3. Bastien CH, Vallieres A, Morin CM (2001). Validation of the Insomnia Severity Index as an outcome measure for insomnia research. Sleep Med, 2, 297-307. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1389-9457(00)00065-4
  4. Beck AT, Epstein N, Brown G, Steer RA (1988). An inventory for measuring clinical anxiety: psychometric properties. J Consult Clin Psychol, 56, 893-7. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.56.6.893
  5. Boysan M, Gulec M, Besiroglu L, Kalafat T (2010). Psychometric properties of the Insomnia Severity Index in Turkish sample. Anadolu Psikiyatri Dergisi, 11, 248-52.
  6. Chen ZJ, Guo YP, Wu ZC (2008). Observation on the therapeutic effect of acupuncture at pain points on cancer pain. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu, 28, 251-3.
  7. Cheng CH, Yi PL, Lin JG, Chang FC (2011). Endogenous opiates in the nucleus tractus solitarius mediateelectroacupuncture-induced sleep activities in rats. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med,159209.
  8. Cheuk DK, Yeung WF, Chung KF, Wong V (2012). Acupuncture for insomnia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 12, 9.
  9. Choi TY, Lee MS, Kim TH, Zaslawski C, Ernst E (2012). Acupuncture for the treatment of cancer pain: a systematic review of randomised clinical trials. Support Care Cancer, 20, 1147-58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-012-1432-9
  10. Cohen AJ, Menter A, Hale L (2005). Acupuncture: role in comprehensive cancer care-a primer for the oncologist and review of the literature. Integr Cancer Ther, 4, 131-43. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534735405276419
  11. Eich H, Agelink MW, Lehmann E, Lemmer W, Klieser E (2000). Acupuncture in patients with minor depressive episodes and generalized anxiety. Results of an experimental study. Neurol Psychiatr, 68, 137-44. https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp.68.2.137
  12. Ezzo J, Streitberger K, Schneider A (2006). Cochrane systematic reviews examine P6 acupuncture-point stimulation for nausea and vomiting. J Altern Complement Med, 12, 489-95. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2006.12.489
  13. Guo R, Zhang L, Gong Y, Zhang B (1995). The treatment of pain in bone metastasis of cancer with the analgesic decoction of cancer and the acupoint therapeutic apparatus. J Tradit Chin Med, 15, 262-4.
  14. He XR, Wang Q, Li PP (2013). Acupuncture and moxibustion for cancer-related fatigue: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 14, 3067-74. https://doi.org/10.7314/APJCP.2013.14.5.3067
  15. Johnstone PA, Polston GR, Niemtzow RC, Martin PJ (2002). Integration of acupuncture into the oncology clinic. Palliat Med, 16, 235-9. https://doi.org/10.1191/0269216302pm540oa
  16. Josefson A, Kreuter M (2003). Acupuncture to reduce nausea during chemotherapy treatment of rheumatic diseases. Rheumatology, 42, 1149-54. https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/keg312
  17. Lee MM, Lin SS, Wrensch MR, Adler SR, Eisenberg D (2000). Alternative therapies used by women with breast cancer in four ethnic populations. J Natl Cancer Inst, 92, 42-7. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/92.1.42
  18. Leng G (1999). A year of acupuncture in palliative care. Palliat Med, 13, 163-4. https://doi.org/10.1191/026921699676243035
  19. Lin JG, Chen YH (2012). The role of acupuncture in cancer supportive care. Am J Chin Med, 40, 219-29. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0192415X12500176
  20. Lu W, Dean-Clower E, Doherty-Gilman A, Rosenthal DS (2008). The value of acupuncture in cancer care. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am, 22, 631-48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hoc.2008.04.005
  21. Lu W, Rosenthal DS (2013). Acupuncture for cancer pain and related symptoms. Curr Pain Headache Rep, 17, 321. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-013-0321-3
  22. Nedstrand E, Wyon Y, Hammar M, Wijma K (2006). Psychological well-being improves in women with breast cancer after treatment with applied relaxation or electro-acupuncture for vasomotor symptom. J Psychosom Obstet Gynaecol, 27, 193-9 https://doi.org/10.1080/01674820600724797
  23. Paley CA, Bennett MI, Johnson MI (2011). Acupuncture for cancer-induced bone pain. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 671043.
  24. Pilkington K, Kirkwood G, Rampes H, Cummings M, Richardson J. Acupuncture for anxiety and anxiety disorders-a systematic literature review. Acupunct Med, 25, 1-10.
  25. Roscoe JA, Morrow GR, Hickok JT, Stern RM (2000). Nausea and vomiting remain a significant clinical problem: Trends over time in controlling chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in 1413 patients treated in community clinical practices. J Pain Symptom Manage, 20, 113-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0885-3924(00)00159-7
  26. Sok SR, Erlen JA, Kim KB (2003). Effects of acupuncture therapy on insomnia. J Adv Nurs, 44, 375-84. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.0309-2402.2003.02816.x
  27. Spence DW, Kayumov L, Chen A, et al (2004). Acupuncture increases nocturnal melatonin secretion and reduces insomnia and anxiety: a preliminary report. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci, 16, 19-28. https://doi.org/10.1176/jnp.16.1.19
  28. Standish LJ, Kozak L, Congdon S (2008). Acupuncture is underutilized in hospice and palliative medicine. Am J Hosp Palliat Care, 25, 298-308. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049909108315916
  29. Streitberger K, Friedrich-Rust M, Bardenheuer H, et al (2003). Effect of acupuncture compared with placebo-acupuncture at P6 as additional antiemetic prophylaxis in high-dose chemotherapy and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation: a randomized controlled single-blind trial. Clin Cancer Res, 9, 2538-44.
  30. Towler P, Molassiotis A, Brearley SG (2013). What is the evidence for the use of acupuncture as an intervention for symptom management in cancer supportive and palliative care: an integrative overview of reviews. Support Care Cancer, 21, 2913-23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-013-1882-8
  31. Ulusoy M, Erkmen H, Sahin N (1998). Turkish version of the Beck anxiety inventory: psychometric properties. J Cogn Psychother, 12, 163-72.
  32. Vickers AJ, Straus DJ, Fearon B, Cassileth BR (2004). Acupuncture for postchemotherapy fatigue: a phase II study. J Clin Oncol, 22, 1731-5. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2004.04.102
  33. Vinjamury SP, Li JT, Hsiao E, et al (2013). Effects of acupuncture for cancer pain and quality of life-a case series. Chin Med, 30, 8-15.
  34. Yano T, Kato B, Fukuda F, et al (2004). Alterations in the function of cerebral dopaminergic and serotonergic systems following electroacupuncture and moxibustion applications: possible correlates with their antistress and psychosomatic actions. Neurochem Res, 29, 283-93. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:NERE.0000010457.00855.8c
  35. Zhang H, Zeng Z, Deng H (2003). Acupuncture treatment for 157 cases of anxiety neurosis. J Tradit Chin Med, 23, 55-6.

Cited by

  1. Phase II Study on EANI Combined with Hydrochloride Palonosetron for Prevention of Chemotherapy-induced Nausea and Vomiting Following Highly Emetogenic Chemotherapy vol.15, pp.9, 2014, https://doi.org/10.7314/APJCP.2014.15.9.3951
  2. Influence of acupuncture on bioelectrical impedance measures in patients with gastrointestinal cancer: results of a pilot study vol.33, pp.1, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1136/acupmed-2014-010667
  3. Integrative Therapeutic Approaches for the Management and Control of Nausea in Children Undergoing Cancer Treatment: A Systematic Review of Literature vol.34, pp.3, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1177/1043454216688638
  4. Effects of Slow-Stroke Back Massage on Symptom Cluster in Adult Patients With Acute Leukemia vol.40, pp.1, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1097/NCC.0000000000000353
  5. Literature Alert vol.26, pp.6, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1089/acu.2014.2662
  6. Evaluation of Group Acupuncture for Cancer-Related Symptoms: A Retrospective Analysis vol.18, pp.10, 2015, https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2015.0143
  7. Effect of Acupuncture or Massage on Health-Related Quality of Life of Hemodialysis Patients pp.1557-7708, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2018.0030
  8. Evaluation of How Integrative Oncology Services Are Valued between Hematology/Oncology Patients and Hematologists/Oncologists at a Tertiary Care Center vol.2018, pp.1741-4288, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/8081018