Department of Fundamental Principles, Southern California University of Health Sciences, California, USA.
Chin Med. 2013 Jul 30;8(1):15. doi: 10.1186/1749-8546-8-15.
Many cancer patients seek complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) including acupuncture to manage their cancer-related symptoms or side effects of treatments. Acupuncture is used to manage cancer pain and improve quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to conduct a preliminary study on a case series to evaluate the feasibility of acupuncture for treating cancer pain and to collect preliminary data on the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating cancer pain and improving QoL.
A semi-standardized acupuncture treatment comprising one to three treatment sessions (20-30 minutes per session) per week for 8 weeks was provided by four licensed acupuncturists, who had more than 5 years of clinical experience, at the University Health Center. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C3) and a visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain rating were used as the outcome measures to assess pain and QoL. Data were collected at baseline, immediately after 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks of treatment and at 4 weeks after treatment completion (week 12).
Two males and five females with a median age of 66 years (range: 44-71 years) completed the study. For the VAS, the percentage of improvement ranged between 18% and 95%. The baseline mean raw score was reduced from 51 mm to 36 mm at the end of week 8 and to 23 mm at the end of week 12. The percentage of overall QoL improvement ranged between 20% and 100%. The mean raw score for QoL improved with time. The baseline score was increased from 55 to 69 at the end of treatment (week 8) and to 73 after the follow-up (week 12).
This pilot study on a case series showed that acupuncture might be beneficial for reducing pain and improving QoL in cancer patients.
许多癌症患者寻求补充和替代医学（CAM），包括针灸，以控制与癌症相关的症状或治疗的副作用。针灸用于治疗癌症疼痛和提高生活质量（QoL）。本研究旨在进行一项病例系列初步研究，以评估针灸治疗癌症疼痛的可行性，并收集针灸治疗癌症疼痛和提高生活质量的初步疗效数据。
由四位具有 5 年以上临床经验的持牌针灸师每周提供一到三次治疗（每次 20-30 分钟），共 8 周，作为治疗方案。欧洲癌症研究与治疗组织生活质量问卷（EORTC QLQ-C3）和疼痛评分的视觉模拟量表（VAS）用作评估疼痛和生活质量的结果测量。数据在基线时、治疗后 2、4、6 和 8 周以及治疗完成后 4 周（第 12 周）时收集。
两名男性和五名女性完成了研究，中位年龄为 66 岁（范围：44-71 岁）。对于 VAS，改善率在 18%至 95%之间。基线的原始评分从 51 毫米降低到第 8 周结束时的 36 毫米，再到第 12 周结束时的 23 毫米。整体生活质量改善率在 20%至 100%之间。生活质量的原始评分随时间而提高。基线评分为 55，治疗结束时（第 8 周）增加到 69，随访时（第 12 周）增加到 73。
这项病例系列初步研究表明，针灸可能有助于减轻癌症患者的疼痛并提高生活质量。
