Garcia, M.K., Driver, L., Haddad, R., Lee, R., Palmer, J.L., Wei, Q., . . . Cohen, L. (2014). Acupuncture for treatment of uncontrolled pain in cancer patients: A pragmatic pilot study. Integrative Cancer Therapies, 13, 133–140.
To test the hypotheses that acupuncture would be feasible, safe, and effective adjunct for pain management
Patients were recruited from referrals to a pain management center. Patients received individualized acupuncture treatments one to three times per week. Treatments were provided by two licensed and experienced acupuncturists. The points used in the treatments are described, and standard techniques for point location were used. Needles were left in place for about 25 minutes. Electrical stimulation was added at the discretion of the practitioner. Study measures were obtained at baseline and after the last acupuncture session. Patients were dropped from the analysis if pain control medications were changed during the course of the study.
Single-arm prospective trial
The average number of treatments was eight (range = 2–10) over five weeks excluding drop-outs. 71% of patients received auricular acupuncture and 71% received electroacupuncture. Pain severity and interference scores declined significantly (p < .0011) using the BPI. A significant reduction in both of these aspects was also seen with the MASI (p < .002). Intent-to-treat analysis using the replacement of missing values with group means showed the same results. For 44% of patients, pain medications remained the same as those at baseline. Fewer patients required opioids at follow-up compared to baseline, and the prevalence of use of other medications for pain such as nonopioid analgesics, antidepressants, and other adjuvant medications declined. 87% of patients stated that the course of acupuncture treatment met their expectations very or extremely well. There were no adverse effects of acupuncture reported.
Findings suggest that the use of acupuncture as an adjunctive therapy for chronic pain management is feasible, is safe, and can be beneficial in reducing pain.
Findings suggest that acupuncture treatment as an adjunctive pain management approach can be beneficial for some patients. Interpretation of findings is difficult due to the individualization of the treatment regimen, study design limitations, and the likelihood that there is a placebo effect with acupuncture. For those patients who wish to try acupuncture for pain management, it appears to be feasible and safe when provided by appropriate practitioners.