Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology, Palliative Care Unit, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2022 Aug;48:101599. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2022.101599. Epub 2022 May 5.
Acupuncture is a promising treatment for visceral cancer pain, but to date, evidence for immediate effects on neuropathic pain is limited.
This report presents a case of immediate pain relief by single-needle acupuncture on opioid-refractory neuropathic breakthrough pain in a 78-year-old female breast cancer patient with cervical bone metastases. Acupuncture was applied at a single point neuroanatomically correlating to the pain affected spinal segment.
Immediately after acupuncture, the patient reported a complete pain relief lasting for one day. In the following days, neuropathic breakthrough pain was better manageable with reduced dosages of opioids. Acupuncture is possibly effective in providing immediate and safe pain relief in neuropathic cancer pain through neuromodulating effects on the spinal and central nervous level. Randomized controlled studies with individualized acupuncture point protocols are needed to establish efficacy and safety.
针灸对于内脏癌痛是一种很有前途的治疗方法，但迄今为止，其对神经性疼痛的即时疗效证据有限。
本报告介绍了一例 78 岁女性乳腺癌伴颈椎骨转移患者，在阿片类药物难治性神经性爆发性疼痛时，单次针刺一针即刻缓解疼痛。针刺在与疼痛相关的脊髓节段的神经解剖学上的一个点进行。
针刺后即刻，患者报告疼痛完全缓解，持续一天。在随后的几天里，神经性爆发性疼痛的疼痛管理更好，阿片类药物的剂量减少。针灸可能通过对脊髓和中枢神经系统的神经调节作用，对神经性癌症疼痛提供即时和安全的疼痛缓解。需要进行个体化针刺方案的随机对照研究，以确定其疗效和安全性。
