Research
| Cancer Treatment S/Es | Research Findings | Link to Article |
|---|---|---|
| Hot Flashes | “...acupuncture was as as effective as venlafaxine…[with the] additional benefit of increased sex drive in some women, and most reported an improvement in their energy, clarity of thought, and sense of well-being.” | https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JCO.2009.23.5150 |
| Hot Flashes | Acupuncture can be considered for improving hot flashes | https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JCO.2018.79.2721 |
| Hot Flashes | Long-term Chinese herbs of Shu-Gan-Liang-Xue decoction administration remarkably improved hot flashes symptom and sleeping disorder associated with endocrine therapy, meanwhile without definite toxicity and influence on the risk of recurrence of tumor. | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3587533/ |
| Hot Flashes | Acupuncture had similar efficacy to venlafaxine and gabapentin but may have longer durability after completing treatment and fewer side effects. | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27015968/ |
| Hot Flashes | “...acupuncture was as as effective as venlafaxine…[with the] additional benefit of increased sex drive in some women, and most reported an improvement in their energy, clarity of thought, and sense of well-being.” | https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JCO.2009.23.5150 |
| Hot Flashes | Acupuncture can be considered for improving hot flashes | https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JCO.2018.79.2721 |
| Hot Flashes | Long-term Chinese herbs of Shu-Gan-Liang-Xue decoction administration remarkably improved hot flashes symptom and sleeping disorder associated with endocrine therapy, meanwhile without definite toxicity and influence on the risk of recurrence of tumor. | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3587533/ |
| Hot Flashes | Acupuncture had similar efficacy to venlafaxine and gabapentin but may have longer durability after completing treatment and fewer side effects. | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27015968/ |
| Nausea/Vomiting | “...[many studies show] efficacy of acupuncture in adult postoperative and chemotherapy nausea and vomiting…” | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9809733/ |
| Nausea/Vomiting | “In 1998, a National Institutes of Health consensus panel reported acupuncture was effective in controlling postoperative pain and chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting.” “Acupuncture is an appropriate adjunctive treatment for chemotherapy-induced nausea/vomiting, but additional studies are needed.” | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3577953/ |
| Nausea/Vomiting | Acupressure and acupuncture are recommended for reducing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting | https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JCO.2018.79.2721 |
| Peripheral Neuropathy | As a dually licensed acupuncturist and licensed massage therapist, I recommend a combination of acupuncture and reflexology treatments at my office. In a 2017 study conducted of 28 patients with CIPN following breast cancer treatment, 26 patients or 93% had complete resolution of their symptoms with a joint protocol of acupuncture and reflexology. | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28150504/ |
| Pain | Pain management for cancer patients should include pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions. | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6777858/ |
| Pain | “Acupuncture plus drug therapy is more effective than conventional drug therapy alone for cancer-related pain.” (Hu et al, 2016) | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4764722/ |
| Pain | Pain is frequently associated with adverse employment and financial outcomes among cancer survivors, and greater pain is associated with worse outcomes. Better assessment of pain severity among survivors and implementation of strategies to assist with employment and financial objectives may be important steps to enhance patient-centered care. | https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO.20.03746 |
| Pain | “…there is an unmet need for improved access to adequate and free or affordable pain management among cancer survivors.” | https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JCO.21.01812 |
| Pain | Data from randomized controlled trials support the effect of hypnosis, acupuncture and music therapy in reduction of pain. | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6777858/ |
| Pain | “…electroacupuncture and auricular acupuncture effectively reduced the severity of chronic musculoskeletal pain in a diverse population of cancer survivors compared with usual care.” | https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2777349?utm_source=TrendMD&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=JAMA_Oncology_TrendMD_1 |
| Xerostomia | “Stimuli at the LI-2 point by acupuncture…induces saliva production” “Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of acupuncture at LI-2…was associated with neuronal activations…correlated to saliva production.” | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2474572/ |
| Xerostomia | American Society for Clinical Oncology recommends acupuncture after radiation therapy for patients with head and neck cancer…for prevention and management of salivary gland hypofunction and xerostomia induced by nonsurgical cancer therapies | https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JCO.21.01208 |
| Fatigue | Several RCTs have been conducted to study the effect of acupuncture in reducing cancer-related fatigue. There is a summary of pilot studies featured on the National Cancer Institute website (https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/acupuncture-pdq#_157_toc). In one study of forty-seven patients with moderate to severe fatigue, acupuncture showed great potential. The acupuncture group received six 20-min sessions over 2 weeks, and at the end of the intervention, there was a 36% improvement in fatigue levels. This was captured in a Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory given to the patients before randomization, at the end of the 2-week intervention and again about 2 weeks after the end of the intervention. Acupuncture has a cumulative effect, so a longer treatment series for cancer-related fatigue is recommended. | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18054724/ |
| Quality of life | "Acupuncture, mistletoe, qigong, reflexology, and stress management can be considered for improving quality of life" | https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JCO.2018.79.2721 |
| Anxiety/Mood Disorders | "Massage is recommended for improving mood disturbance." | https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JCO.2018.79.2721 |
| Surgery | In 1998, a National Institutes of Health consensus panel reported acupuncture was effective in controlling postoperative pain… | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9809733/ |
| Chemotherapy | This systematic review suggests that Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) as an adjuvant therapy can reduce conventional chemotherapy (CT) toxicity, prolong survival rate, enhance immediate tumor response, and improve KPS in advanced NSCLC patients. However, due to the lack of large-scale randomized clinical trials in the included studies, further larger scale trials are needed. | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23469033 |
| Cancer Prevention | “It has been estimated that up to 40% of cancers could be prevented through dietary strategies.” | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16781514/ |
| Cancer Prevention | This preliminary study suggests that n-3 PUFAs (omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) are safe and have a positive effect on clinical outcomes and survival in pancreatic cancer patients. | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25425246/ |
| Cancer Prevention | World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research summary of recommended behaviors to promote health and [reduce the risk] of cancer | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7317613/table/tbl1/?report=objectonly |
| Cancer Prevention | WCRF/AICR summary of exposures that affect the risk of developing cancer, where evidence to make cancer prevention recommendations is strong, or where evidence appears strong but key aspects of evidence remains inadequate | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7317613/table/tbl2/?report=objectonly |
| Cancer Prevention | WCRF/AICR evidence table for diet, nutrition, physical activity, and colon cancer risk | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7317613/table/tbl3/?report=objectonly |
| Cancer Prevention | “...there are many challenges for individuals, including awareness and access to educational materials, lack of skills in implementing behavioral changes, and social and economic barriers to making and sustaining changes in diet and physical activity.” | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7317613/ |
| Cancer Prevention | “Women can alter their diets effectively to enhance their health in general and to reduce their risk of breast cancer.” | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16781514/ |
| Cancer Prevention | The Mediterranean diet may have a favorable impact not only on cardiovascular disease (CVD), but also on several common (epithelial) cancers, particularly of the digestive tract. | https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/fruit-and-vegetables-and-cancer-risk-a-review-of-southern-european-studies/3F4EB5E5F7594EBFB9B7189467CC4C33 |
| OA of the Knee Low Back Pain | “...chronic pain such as osteoarthritis of the knee or low back pain has been well characterized in a large, individual patient data meta-analysis involving nearly 18 000 patients (27). Acupuncture was found to be more effective than usual or standard care…” | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3658605/ |
| Pediatric Oncology | “Positive evidence exists for using acupuncture to reduce nausea and vomiting and massage to reduce anxiety and pain.” | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29026997/ |
