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Cohen L, Danhauer SC, Garcia MK, Dressler EV, Rosenthal DI, Chambers MS, Cusimano A, Brown WM, Ochoa JM, Yang P, Chiang JS, Gordon O, Crutcher R, Kim JK, Russin MP, Lukenbill J, Porosnicu M, Yost KJ, Weaver KE, Lesser GJ. Acupuncture for Chronic Radiation-Induced Xerostomia in Head and Neck Cancer: A Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open 2024; 7:e2410421. [PMID: 38739392 PMCID: PMC11091764 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.10421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Importance Patients with head and neck cancer who undergo radiotherapy can develop chronic radiation-induced xerostomia. Prior acupuncture studies were single center and rated as having high risk of bias, making it difficult to know the benefits of acupuncture for treating radiation-induced xerostomia. Objective To compare true acupuncture (TA), sham acupuncture (SA), and standard oral hygiene (SOH) for treating radiation-induced xerostomia. Design, Setting, and Participants A randomized, blinded, 3-arm, placebo-controlled trial was conducted between July 29, 2013, and June 9, 2021. Data analysis was performed from March 9, 2022, through May 17, 2023. Patients reporting grade 2 or 3 radiation-induced xerostomia 12 months or more postradiotherapy for head and neck cancer were recruited from community-based cancer centers across the US that were part of the Wake Forest National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program Research Base. Participants had received bilateral radiotherapy with no history of xerostomia. Interventions Participants received SOH and were randomized to TA, SA, or SOH only. Participants in the TA and SA cohorts were treated 2 times per week for 4 weeks. Those experiencing a minor response received another 4 weeks of treatment. Main Outcomes and Measures Patient-reported outcomes for xerostomia (Xerostomia Questionnaire, primary outcome) and quality of life (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General) were collected at baseline, 4 (primary time point), 8, 12, and 26 weeks. All analyses were intention to treat. Results A total of 258 patients (201 men [77.9%]; mean [SD] age, 65.0 [9.16] years), participated from 33 sites across 13 states. Overall, 86 patients were assigned to each study arm. Mean (SD) years from diagnosis was 4.21 (3.74) years, 67.1% (n = 173) had stage IV disease. At week 4, Xerostomia Questionnaire scores revealed significant between-group differences, with lower Xerostomia Questionnaire scores with TA vs SOH (TA: 50.6; SOH: 57.3; difference, -6.67; 95% CI, -11.08 to -2.27; P = .003), and differences between TA and SA (TA: 50.6; SA: 55.0; difference, -4.41; 95% CI, -8.62 to -0.19; P = .04) yet did not reach statistical significance after adjustment for multiple comparisons. There was no significant difference between SA and SOH. Group differences in Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General scores revealed statistically significant group differences at week 4, with higher scores with TA vs SOH (TA: 101.6; SOH: 97.7; difference, 3.91; 95% CI, 1.43-6.38; P = .002) and at week 12, with higher scores with TA vs SA (TA: 102.1; SA: 98.4; difference, 3.64; 95% CI, 1.10-6.18; P = .005) and TA vs SOH (TA: 102.1; SOH: 97.4; difference, 4.61; 95% CI, 1.99-7.23; P = .001). Conclusions and Relevance The findings of this trial suggest that TA was more effective in treating chronic radiation-induced xerostomia 1 or more years after the end of radiotherapy than SA or SOH. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02589938.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Cohen
- Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
| | - Suzanne C. Danhauer
- Department of Social Sciences & Health Policy, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - M. Kay Garcia
- Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
| | - Emily V. Dressler
- Department of Biostatistics & Data Science, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - David I. Rosenthal
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
| | - Mark S. Chambers
- Department of Dental Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
| | - Andrew Cusimano
- Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
| | - W. Mark Brown
- Department of Biostatistics & Data Science, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Jewel M. Ochoa
- Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
| | - Peiying Yang
- Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
| | - Joseph S. Chiang
- Department of Anesthesiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
| | - Ora Gordon
- Disney Family Cancer Center, Department of Integrative Medicine, Providence St Joseph Medical Center, Burbank, California
| | - Rhonda Crutcher
- Disney Family Cancer Center, Department of Integrative Medicine, Providence St Joseph Medical Center, Burbank, California
| | - Jung K. Kim
- Disney Family Cancer Center, Department of Integrative Medicine, Providence St Joseph Medical Center, Burbank, California
| | - Michael P. Russin
- Medical Oncology and Hematology, Kaiser Permanente Diablo Service Area, Martinez, California
| | | | - Mercedes Porosnicu
- Section on Hematology & Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Kathleen J. Yost
- Cancer Research Consortium of West Michigan NCORP, Spectrum Health at Butterworth Campus, Grand Rapids
| | - Kathryn E. Weaver
- Department of Social Sciences & Health Policy, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Glenn J. Lesser
- Section on Hematology & Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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Zhang XW, Hou WB, Pu FL, Wang XF, Wang YR, Yang M, Cheng K, Wang Y, Robinson N, Liu JP. Acupuncture for cancer-related conditions: An overview of systematic reviews. PHYTOMEDICINE : INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHYTOTHERAPY AND PHYTOPHARMACOLOGY 2022; 106:154430. [PMID: 36099656 DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2022.154430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acupuncture is commonly used for cancer-related conditions worldwide, and evidence is increasing year on year. There is a need to summarize the evidence of acupuncture for cancer-related conditions comprehensively and critically. OBJECTIVE To evaluate and summarize the systematic reviews (SRs) that assess the effects and safety of acupuncture for cancer-related conditions, and to inform clinical practice and future studies. METHODS A comprehensive search was conducted on Pubmed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, VIP, Sinomed, and Wanfang from their inception to October 16, 2021. SRs of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on acupuncture for cancer-related conditions were to be included. Two reviewers screened the eligible articles, and four reviewers in pair extracted data and assessed the methodological quality/risk of bias of all included reviews by AMSTAR 2 and ROBIS tools. The overlap of primary studies was measured by calculating corrected covered areas. Data from the included reviews were synthesized with a summary of meta-analysis or narrative description. RESULTS Fifty-one SRs of RCTs on acupuncture for cancer-related conditions were included and synthesized. The methodological quality of SRs included 1 "high", 5 "low" and 45 "very low" by AMSTAR 2. Sixteen SRs assessed as low risk of bias (31.37%), and 35 SRs had high risk of bias (68.63%) by ROBIS. Acupuncture showed effective on systemic conditions in relation to different cancers, including cancer-related pain (17 SRs, 80 RCTs), fatigue (7 SRs, 18 RCTs), insomnia (4 SRs, 10 RCTs), quality of life (2 SRs, 15 RCTs); conditions in relation to chemo-radiotherapy, including nausea and vomiting (3 SRs, 36 RCTs) and bone marrow suppression (2 SRs, 21 RCTs); and conditions in relation to specific cancers, including breast cancer-related menopause (3 SRs, 6 RCTs), hot flashes (12 SRs, 13 RCTs), arthralgia (5 SRs, 10 RCTs), and nasopharyngeal cancer-related dysphagia (1 SRs, 7 RCTs). Acupuncture appeared to have benefit for patients with lymphoedema (3 SRs, 3 RCTs), gastrointestinal function (5 SRs, 27 RCTs), and xerostomia (4 SRs, 7 RCTs). Limited evidence showed inconsistent results on acupuncture for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (3 SRs, 6 RCTs), depression and anxiety (3 SRs, 9 RCTs). Acupuncture was regarded as a safe therapy for cancer patients as no severe adverse events related were reported. CONCLUSION Evidence from SRs showed that acupuncture is beneficial to cancer survivors with cancer-related pain, fatigue, insomnia, improved quality of life, nausea and vomiting, bone marrow suppression, menopausal symptoms, arthralgia, and dysphagia, and may also be potential for lymphoedema, gastrointestinal function, and xerostomia. For neuropathy, depression and anxiety, acupuncture should be used as an option based on individual conditions. Acupuncture is relatively safe without serious adverse events. More well-designed clinical trials of acupuncture are recommended on cancer-related depression and anxiety, arthralgia, xerostomia, gastrointestinal dysfunction and dysphagia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Wen Zhang
- Centre for Evidence Based Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Wen-Bin Hou
- Centre for Evidence Based Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Feng-Lan Pu
- Centre for Evidence Based Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Xue-Feng Wang
- School of Humanities, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Yi-Ran Wang
- School of Humanities, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Ming Yang
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Ke Cheng
- School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yuyi Wang
- Chongqing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing 400011, China
| | - Nicola Robinson
- Centre for Evidence Based Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China; Institute of Health and Social Care, London South Bank University, London, UK
| | - Jian-Ping Liu
- Centre for Evidence Based Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China; The National Research Center in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NAFKAM), Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Health Science, UiT The Arctic University of Tromsø, Tromsø 9037, Norway.
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Birch S, Lee MS, Alraek T, Kim TH. Evidence, safety and recommendations for when to use acupuncture for treating cancer related symptoms: a narrative review. Integr Med Res 2019; 8:160-166. [PMID: 31304088 PMCID: PMC6600712 DOI: 10.1016/j.imr.2019.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Revised: 05/11/2019] [Accepted: 05/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Recently research on acupuncture for cancer related symptoms has significantly increased. To what extent have medical professionals recommended to use acupuncture in light of that evidence? Methods Evidence of effectiveness and safety was found by searching Pubmed for reviews to identify for what conditions and general results. Publications that recommend acupuncture in oncology were searched in the database of an ongoing general search for publications that recommend acupuncture. This database was developed by searching google for publications that recommend the use of acupuncture with the terms ‘name of symptom’ and ‘clinical practice guideline’ or ‘treatment guideline’. Results Acupuncture is moderately or weakly effective for 19 symptoms in patients with cancer and cancer survivors. Acupuncture is a safe therapy in cancer care if administered by trained acupuncturists. Acupuncture is targeted to improve symptoms associated with the cancer and different cancer treatments, not to treat the cancer itself. More than 350 publications by clinical practice guideline groups and expert groups, including public health statements made by national and government agencies recommended the use of acupuncture for 61 cancer related symptoms many with positive evidence of effectiveness. Conclusion The strength of evidence is weak for many indications, however the evidence for many standard therapies is either not very strong or if stronger, the incidence of adverse events is more, which makes acupuncture a treatment option despite the weak evidence. We have found evidence that many oncologists around the world have started to incorporate acupuncture into the treatment of various cancer related symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Birch
- Department of Health Sciences, Kristiania University College, Oslo, Norway
| | - Myeong Soo Lee
- Clinical Medicine Division, Korean Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Terje Alraek
- Department of Health Sciences, Kristiania University College, Oslo, Norway.,National Research Centre in Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromso, Norway
| | - Tae-Hun Kim
- Clinical Trial Center, Kyung-Hee University, Korean Medical Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Liebell D. The Science of Auricular Microsystem Acupuncture: Amygdala Function in Psychiatric, Neuromusculoskeletal, and Functional Disorders. Med Acupunct 2019; 31:157-163. [PMID: 31297169 DOI: 10.1089/acu.2019.1339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Addressing dysfunction of the amygdala via the auricular acupuncture microsystem has vast potential. Widespread medical consequences of amygdala dysregulation have been well-defined scientifically. Clinical results and a significant quantity of existing amygdala research support the rationale for addressing amygdala function through auricular-acupuncture techniques. Further scientific inquiry into their mechanisms of action, clinical applications, and expansion of both professional and public education of the merits of these techniques is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald Liebell
- The Liebell Clinic: Chronic Pain & Wellness Solutions, Virginia Beach, VA
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