ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To search for a safe and effective method for alleviating cancer pain.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty-six cases of late cancer with pain were first divided into 3 different degrees of pain, mild, moderate and severe, and then the patients with pain of each same degree were randomly divided into an acupuncture group treated by acupuncture at 3-5 of the most severe tender points, and a medication group treated with oral administration according to the WHO Three Step Administration Principle, i.e. the patients with mild pain took aspirin, moderate pain took codeine and severe pain took morphine.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Both two methods could effectively control cancer pain. The total effective rate of 94.1% in the acupuncture group was significantly better than 87.5% in the medication group (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The analgesic effect of acupuncture treatment is better than that of the Three Step Administration, with no adverse effect and addiction of analgesics.</p>
Subject(s)
Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Acupuncture Analgesia , Medicine, Chinese Traditional , Pain, Intractable , TherapeuticsABSTRACT
Cancer pain is one of the commonly-seen main clinical symptoms for the terminal cancer patient, and severely influences quality of life of the patient, which needs to be solved urgently. Application of analgesics is limited by its addiction and side effects. Acupuncture as one of TCM therapies with advantages of safety, effectiveness and no side effect is playing an important role in treatment of cancer pain. This article reviews recent 10 years' acupuncture and moxibustion methods for treatment of cancer pain, so as to better guide acupuncture and moxibustion treatment of cancer pain and provide necessary research data for future studies.