Acupuncture for the Treatment of Paraneoplastic Night Sweats

Abstract

This case report describes acupuncture treatment to manage paraneoplastic night sweating secondary to pancreatic cancer. A 56-year-old gentleman with a 2-month history of night sweating responded well over a 10-week course of acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture was selected for symptom management after no success was achieved with pharmacological and conventional managements. The severity of night sweating had reduced from 9/10 to 1/10 on visual analog scale at the end of treatment. This case report suggests that acupuncture has a favorable effect on paraneoplastic night sweating in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer and recommends further research.