Complementary Therapy Service, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road, Manchester M20 4BX, UK.
Acupunct Med. 2011 Sep;29(3):230-3. doi: 10.1136/acupmed.2011.010025.
To clinically evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture when used in the management of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (PN).
During cancer treatment, certain chemotherapies can cause varying degrees of PN. Patients' quality of life can be seriously impaired through loss of sensation, pain or mobility problems. Conventional medications routinely used to manage neuropathic symptoms have poor side-effect profiles and there is little or no evidence justifying their use to treat chemotherapy-related neurotoxicities. There are studies suggesting that acupuncture may be an effective therapy in treating PN across a number of different aetiologies. Design A retrospective service evaluation.
Patients (n=18) were referred for acupuncture by the medical staff and/ornurse specialists or they self-referred for treatment. A course of six weekly acupuncture sessions was offered to them, and their details were recorded on an evaluation form prior to session one. Points were selected by acupuncturists, based on patient presentation, and needles remained in situ for 30-45 min. Treatments took place in outpatient clinics, chemotherapy day case ward or a drop-in clinic based in a physiotherapy gym. The evaluation form was completed at the end of session 6 by a therapist who had not been involved in patient care.
82% (n=14) of patients reported an improvement in symptoms following their course of acupuncture; one patient with advanced disease died during the 6 weeks. Some patients derived additional benefits from the treatment including a reduction in analgesic use and improved sleeping patterns. The most common acupoints used were SP6 (n=18), ST36 (n=18) and LV3 (n=14).
Although these results are encouraging, they are uncontrolled. They suggest that acupuncture could be an option for these patients and controlled trials using validated patient-reported outcome measures are justified.
临床评估针刺治疗化疗引起的周围神经病（PN）的疗效。
在癌症治疗过程中，某些化疗药物会引起不同程度的 PN。感觉丧失、疼痛或运动问题会严重损害患者的生活质量。常规用于治疗神经病理性症状的常规药物具有较差的副作用谱，并且几乎没有或没有证据证明它们用于治疗与化疗相关的神经毒性。有研究表明，针刺可能是治疗多种不同病因的 PN 的有效疗法。
回顾性服务评估。
患者（n=18）由医务人员和/或护士专家转介接受针刺治疗，或者他们自行转介接受治疗。为他们提供了六次每周一次的针刺疗程，在第一次治疗前，他们的详细信息记录在评估表上。根据患者的表现，针灸师选择穴位，针在原位保留 30-45 分钟。治疗在门诊、化疗日间病房或设在理疗健身房的临时诊所进行。治疗结束时，治疗师（未参与患者护理）在第 6 次治疗结束时填写评估表。
82%（n=14）的患者在接受针刺疗程后报告症状有所改善；一名晚期疾病患者在 6 周内死亡。一些患者从治疗中获得了额外的益处，包括减少止痛药的使用和改善睡眠模式。最常用的穴位是 SP6（n=18）、ST36（n=18）和 LV3（n=14）。
尽管这些结果令人鼓舞，但它们是不受控制的。它们表明针刺可能是这些患者的一种选择，并且使用经过验证的患者报告结局测量进行对照试验是合理的。
