Observations on the Therapeutic Effect of Combined use of Acupuncture and Medicine on Neuropathic Pain in Cancer / 上海针灸杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of acupuncture plus oral carbamazepine in treating neuropathic pain in cancer. Methods Fifty-seven cancer patients were randomly allocated to a treatment group of 30 cases and a control group of 27 cases. The treatment group received acupuncture plus oral administration of carbamazepine and the control group, oral administration of carbamazepine alone on the basis of standardized treatment for cancer pain. The control effects on cancer pain were evaluated in the two groups of patients after four weeks of treatment. Results The total overall remission rate was 93.3%in the treatment group and 77.8% in the control group; there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05). Conclusion Combined use of acupuncture and medicine is an effective way to treat neuropathic pain in cancer.