Department of Family Medicine, Pingtung Christian Hospital, Pingtung County 900, Taiwan, China.
J Integr Med. 2018 May;16(3):208-210. doi: 10.1016/j.joim.2018.04.003. Epub 2018 Apr 12.
A 66-year-old female patient was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma accompanied by neuropathic pain induced by a metastatic tumor that compromised root and spinal canal. Although her pain was relieved following medical treatment, breakthrough pain occurring 1-2 times a day was still distressing. Neuropathic pain in her right lower limb caused discomfort and irritability and decreased her quality of life. We had limited options to adjust her prescription drug regime, due to the side effect of these drugs. Although acupuncture therapy was only performed at her home once a week, the efficacy was outstanding. The patient did not report any further instances of breakthrough pain, and she did not require additional bolus morphine. She could comfortably live in her familiar surroundings with her family and did not require any emergency room visits or admission into the hospital during the last month of her life. She had excellent quality of life in the terminal period of her life, and could even participate in a family function during this time. The present case report suggests that acupuncture may have a role in treating neuropathic pain induced by bone metastasis in patients with advanced cancer across clinical and in-home settings.
一位 66 岁的女性患者被诊断为肝细胞癌，同时伴有由转移瘤引起的根和椎管受累导致的神经性疼痛。尽管她的疼痛经过治疗得到了缓解，但每天仍会发生 1-2 次的爆发性疼痛，这让她感到痛苦。她右下肢的神经性疼痛使她感到不适和烦躁，降低了她的生活质量。由于这些药物的副作用，我们调整她的处方药方案的选择有限。尽管每周只在她家里进行一次针灸治疗，但疗效非常显著。患者没有再报告出现爆发性疼痛的情况，也不需要额外的吗啡冲击剂量。在她生命的最后一个月，她可以舒适地在熟悉的环境中与家人一起生活，不需要急诊或住院。她在生命的终末期生活质量非常好，甚至可以在这段时间参加家庭活动。本病例报告提示，针灸可能在治疗晚期癌症患者骨转移引起的神经性疼痛方面具有一定的作用，无论是在临床环境还是家庭环境中。
