Acupuncture and integrative oncology for taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy: a randomized multicentered study

Abstract

ObjectiveTo compare the effectiveness of acupuncture alone or with additional integrative oncology modalities for taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy-related symptoms in patients with gynecological and breast cancer.MethodsThe study was a prospective evaluation of patients undergoing twice-weekly treatments with either acupuncture alone (single-modality, group A) or with additional manual-movement and mind-body therapies (multimodality, group B), for 6 weeks. Symptom severity was assessed at baseline, 6 weeks, and 9 weeks using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Taxane (FACT-Tax) tool; and von Frey perception thresholds. Additional symptoms were also assessed with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the Measure Yourself Concerns and Wellbeing (MYCaW) study tool.ResultsFor the 120 participants (60 in each study arm), baseline to 6-week scores were similar in both groups for improved FACT-Tax physical wellbeing and scores for hand numbness/tingling; EORTC physical functioning and global health status; and MYCaW scores. FACT-Tax taxane subscales and scores for foot numbness/tingling improved only in group A (p=0.038), while emotional wellbeing FACT-Tax (p=0.02) and EORTC pain (p=0.005) improved only in group B. Group B showed greater improvement for FACT-Tax neuropathy-related concerns than group A at 24 hours (p=0.043) and 7 days (p=0.009) after the first treatment.ConclusionAcupuncture alone or with additional integrative oncology modalities may help reduce neuropathy-related symptoms. The single-modality group demonstrated greater improvement for foot numbness/tingling, and the multimodality group demonstrated improvement for pain and improved emotional wellbeing and neuropathy-related concerns in the first week of treatment.Trial registration numberNCT03290976.

Research hotspots and trends of complementary and alternative therapy for neuropathic pain: A bibliometric analysis

“…In recent years, research on CAT for the treatment of NP has increased year by year, with a proliferation of systematic reviews, large-sample randomized controlled trials, and original studies. [31][32][33][34] However, bibliometric analyses of the disciplinary structure, status of study, and hotspots in the area are still vacant. Therefore, in this study, we summarized the general information of this research field by bibliometrics, and analyzed the contributions and collaborations of countries, institutions, and authors to the field.…”

The use of cannabinoids and alternative therapies in chronic pain management: a narrative review

“…Studies on acupuncture focus on finding areas for its clinical application. There are clinical trials researching the usage of acupuncture in perioperative and postoperative treatment [98,104,105], chronic pain management [106], depression [107], irritable bowel syndrome [108], fibromyalgia [109], rheumatoid arthritis [98], neuropathy [110,111]. A study on 107 patients showed that the group of patients who received epidural analgesia and acupuncture reported significantly better pain management scoring low on pain scales (postoperatively on the day of operation and two days after) than the control group who received epidural analgesia only [98,104].…”

“…The strength of recommendation for acupuncture for patients with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and patients undergoing cancer surgery or other invasive procedures is weak [116]. Nevertheless, some studies reported that acupuncture reduces taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy (tingling, numbness, pain in distal extremities) and overall well-being [110,111].…”

Mechanism and application of acupuncture and electro‐acupuncture associated with cancer therapy

“…Small sample study suggests that the effect of AC on chemotherapy‐induced peripheral neuropathy is uncertain 159 . However, studies have shown that AC can improve chemotherapy‐induced peripheral neuropathy 51–57,160 and reduce the use of analgesics 58 . AC may reduce the incidence of high‐grade peripheral neuropathy during chemotherapy and improve its symptoms, with a potential long‐term effect 59,60 .…”