[Observation on the therapeutic effect of acupuncture at pain points on cancer pain]. Analgesic effect of auricular acupuncture for cancer pain: a randomized, blinded, controlled trial. Acupuncture for patients with chronic neck pain.
To search for a safe and effective method for alleviating cancer pain.
                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.
                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).
                The analgesic effect of acupuncture treatment is better than that of the Three Step Administration, with no adverse effect and addiction of analgesics. During the last 30 years, auricular acupuncture has been used as complementary treatment of cancer pain when analgesic drugs do not suffice. The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of auricular acupuncture in decreasing pain intensity in cancer patients.
                Ninety patients were randomly divided in three groups; one group received two courses of auricular acupuncture at points where an electrodermal signal had been detected, and two placebo groups received auricular acupuncture at points with no electrodermal signal (placebo points) and one with auricular seeds fixed at placebo points. Patients had to be in pain, attaining a visual analog score (VAS) of 30 mm or more after having received analgesic treatment adapted to both intensity and type of pain, for at least 1 month of therapy. Treatment efficacy was based on the absolute decrease in pain intensity measured 2 months after randomization using the VAS.
                The main outcome was pain assessed at 2 months, with the assessment at 1 month carried over to 2 months for the eight patients who interrupted treatment after 1 month. For three patients, no data were available because they withdrew from the study during the first month. Pain intensity decreased by 36% at 2 months from baseline in the group receiving acupuncture; there was little change for patients receiving placebo (2%). The difference between groups was statistically significant (P <.0001).
                The observed reduction in pain intensity measured on the VAS represents a clear benefit from auricular acupuncture for these cancer patients who are in pain, despite stable analgesic treatment. Acupuncture is widely used by patients with neck pain, but there is a lack of information about its effectiveness in routine medical care. The aim was to investigate the effectiveness of acupuncture in addition to routine care in patients with chronic neck pain compared to treatment with routine care alone. We performed a randomized controlled multicentre trial plus non-randomized cohort in general practices in Germany. 14,161 patients with chronic neck pain (duration >6 months). Patients were randomly allocated to an acupuncture group or a control group receiving no acupuncture. Patients in the acupuncture group received up to 15 acupuncture sessions over three months. Patients who did not consent to randomization received acupuncture treatment. All subjects were allowed to receive usual medical care in addition to study treatment. Neck pain and disability (NPAD Scale by Wheeler) after three months. Of 14,161 patients (mean age 50.9+/-13.1 years, 68% female) 1880 were randomized to acupuncture and 1886 to control, and 10,395 included into the non-randomized acupuncture group. At three months, neck pain and disability improved by 16.2 (SE: 0.4) to 38.3 (SE: 0.4); and by 3.9 (SE: 0.4) to 50.5 (SE: 0.4), difference 12.3 (p<0.001) in the acupuncture and control group, respectively. Treatment success was essentially maintained through six months. Non-randomized patients had more severe symptoms at baseline and showed higher neck pain and disability improvement compared to randomized patients. Treatment with acupuncture added to routine care in patients with chronic neck pain was associated with improvements in neck pain and disability compared to treatment with routine care alone.
There is insufficient evidence to judge whether acupuncture is effective in treating cancer pain in adults.