Ben-Horin Idan, Kahan Peretz, Ryvo Larisa, Inbar Moshe, Lev-Ari Shahar, Geva Ravit
1 Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Integr Cancer Ther. 2017 Sep;16(3):258-262. doi: 10.1177/1534735417690254. Epub 2017 Feb 2.
Treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), which affects approximately 30% to 40% of patients treated with neuropathy-causing agents, is mainly symptomatic. Currently available interventions are of little benefit.
This study was conducted as a retrospective analysis of the efficacy of acupuncture and reflexology in alleviating CIPN in breast cancer patients.
Medical records of 30 consecutive breast cancer patients who received both chemotherapy and treatment for CIPN according to our Acupuncture and Reflexology Treatment for Neuropathy (ART-N) protocol between 2011 and 2012 were reviewed. Symptom severity was rated at baseline, during, and after treatment.
The records of 30 breast cancer patients who had been concomitantly treated with chemotherapy and ART-N for CIPN were retrieved. Two records were incomplete, leaving a total of 28 patients who were enrolled into the study. Twenty patients (71%) had sensory neuropathy, 7 (25%) had motor neuropathy, and 1 (4%) had both sensory and motor neuropathy. Only 2 (10%) of the 20 patients with grades 1 to 2 neuropathy still reported symptoms at 12 months since starting the ART-N protocol. All 8 patients who presented with grades 3 to 4 neuropathy were symptom-free at the 12-month evaluation. Overall, 26 patients (93%) had complete resolution of CIPN symptoms.
The results of this study demonstrated that a joint protocol of acupuncture and reflexology has a potential to improve symptoms of CIPN in breast cancer patients. The protocol should be validated on a larger cohort with a control group. It also warrants testing as a preventive intervention.
化疗引起的周围神经病变（CIPN）影响了约30%至40%接受致神经病变药物治疗的患者，其治疗主要是对症治疗。目前可用的干预措施益处不大。
本研究是对针灸和反射疗法缓解乳腺癌患者CIPN疗效的回顾性分析。
回顾了2011年至2012年间连续30例接受化疗并根据我们的神经病变针灸和反射疗法（ART-N）方案接受CIPN治疗的乳腺癌患者的病历。在基线、治疗期间和治疗后对症状严重程度进行评分。
检索到30例同时接受化疗和ART-N治疗CIPN的乳腺癌患者的病历。两份记录不完整，共有28例患者纳入研究。20例（71%）有感觉神经病变，7例（25%）有运动神经病变，1例（4%）既有感觉神经病变又有运动神经病变。在开始ART-N方案后的12个月，20例1至2级神经病变患者中只有2例（10%）仍报告有症状。所有8例3至4级神经病变患者在12个月评估时无症状。总体而言，26例（93%）患者的CIPN症状完全缓解。
本研究结果表明，针灸和反射疗法联合方案有可能改善乳腺癌患者CIPN的症状。该方案应在更大的有对照组的队列中进行验证。它也值得作为一种预防性干预措施进行测试。
