The association of depression and pain with health-related quality of life, disability, and health care use in cancer patients. A randomised trial of electro-acupuncture for arthralgia related to aromatase inhibitor use. Electroacupuncture treatment for pancreatic cancer pain: a randomized controlled trial. A dual-center randomized controlled double blind trial assessing the effect of acupuncture in reducing musculoskeletal symptoms in breast cancer patients taking aromatase inhibitors The Cochrane Collaboration’s tool for assessing risk of bias in randomised trials The Feasibility and Effects of Acupuncture on Quality of Life Scores During Chemotherapy in Ovarian Cancer: Results from a Pilot, Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial. Randomized Controlled Trials of Acupuncture (1997–2007): An Assessment of Reporting Quality with a CONSORT- and STRICTA-Based Instrument Acupuncture compared with placebo acupuncture in radiotherapy-induced nausea--a randomized controlled study. How to Design the Control Group in Randomized Controlled Trials of Acupuncture? [Observation on the therapeutic effect of acupuncture at pain points on cancer pain]. Randomized, blinded, sham-controlled trial of acupuncture for the management of aromatase inhibitor-associated joint symptoms in women with early-stage breast cancer. [Observation on the analgesic effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation for breast radical carcinoma operation]. Randomized controlled trial of a special acupuncture technique for pain after thoracotomy. Analgesic effect of electroacupuncture in postthoracotomy pain: a prospective randomized trial. Acupuncture for pain and dysfunction after neck dissection: results of a randomized controlled trial. [Study on effect of moxibustion and guben yiliu III combined with chemotherapy in treating middle-late stage malignant tumor]. Assessment of cancer pain: a prospective evaluation in 2266 cancer patients referred to a pain service Analgesic effect of auricular acupuncture for cancer pain: a randomized, blinded, controlled trial. [Effect of previous analgesia of scalp acupuncture on post-operative epidural morphine analgesia in the patient of intestinal cancer].
CONTEXT Pain and depression are two of the most prevalent and treatable cancer-related symptoms , each present in at least 20%-30 % of oncology patients . OBJECTIVE To determine the associations of pain and depression with health-related quality of life ( HRQL ) , disability , and health care use in cancer patients . METHODS The Indiana Cancer Pain and Depression study is a r and omized clinical trial comparing telecare management vs. usual care for patients with cancer-related pain and /or clinical ly significant depression . In this article , baseline data on patients enrolled from 16 urban or rural community-based oncology practice s are analyzed to test the associations of pain and depression with HRQL , disability , and health care use . RESULTS Of the 405 participants , 32 % had depression only , 24 % pain only , and 44 % both depression and pain . The average Hopkins Symptom Checklist 20-item depression score in the 309 depressed participants was 1.64 ( on 0 - 4 scale ) , and the average Brief Pain Inventory ( BPI ) severity score in the 274 participants with pain was 5.2 ( on 0 - 10 scale ) , representing at least moderate levels of symptom severity . Symptom-specific disability was high , with participants reporting an average of 16.8 of the past 28 days ( i.e. , 60 % of their days in the past four weeks ) in which they were either confined to bed ( 5.6 days ) or had to reduce their usual activities by 50 % ( 11.2 days ) because of pain or depression . Moreover , 176 ( 43 % ) participants reported being unable to work because of health-related reasons . Depression and pain had both individual and additive adverse associations with quality of life . Most patients were currently not receiving care from a mental health or pain specialist . CONCLUSION Depression and pain are prevalent and disabling across a wide range of types and phases of cancer , commonly co-occur , and have additive adverse effects . Enhanced detection and management of this disabling symptom dyad is warranted BACKGROUND Arthralgia is a common and debilitating side-effect experienced by breast cancer patients receiving aromatase inhibitors ( AIs ) and often results in premature drug discontinuation . METHODS We conducted a r and omised controlled trial of electro-acupuncture ( EA ) as compared to waitlist control ( WLC ) and sham acupuncture ( SA ) in postmenopausal women with breast cancer who self-reported arthralgia attributable to AIs . Acupuncturists performed 10 EA/SA treatments over 8 weeks using a manualised protocol with 2 Hz electro-stimulation delivered by a TENS unit . Acupuncturists administered SA using Streitberger ( non-penetrating ) needles at non-traditional acupuncture points without electro-stimulation . The primary end-point was pain severity by Brief Pain Inventory ( BPI ) between EA and WLC at Week 8 ; durability of response at Week 12 and comparison of EA to SA were secondary aims . FINDINGS Of the 67 r and omly assigned patients , mean reduction in pain severity was greater in the EA group than in the WLC group at Week 8 ( -2.2 versus -0.2 , p=0.0004 ) and at Week 12 ( -2.4 versus -0.2 , p<0.0001 ) . Pain-related interference measured by BPI also improved in the EA group compared to the WLC group at both Week 8 ( -2.0 versus 0.2 , p=0.0006 ) and Week 12 ( -2.1 versus -0.1 , p=0.0034 ) . SA produced a magnitude of change in pain severity and pain-related interference at Week 8 ( -2.3 , -1.5 respectively ) and Week 12 ( -1.7 , -1.3 respectively ) similar to that of EA . Participants in both EA and SA groups reported few minor adverse events . INTERPRETATIONS Compared to usual care , EA produced clinical ly important and durable improvement in arthralgia related to AIs in breast cancer patients , and SA had a similar effect . Both EA and SA were safe BACKGROUND Pancreatic cancer is often accompanied by severe abdominal or back pain . It 's the first study to evaluate the analgesic effect of electroacupuncture on pancreatic cancer pain . A r and omized controlled trial compared electroacupuncture with control acupuncture using the placebo needle . METHODS Sixty patients with pancreatic cancer pain were r and omly assigned to the electroacupuncture group ( n = 30 ) and the placebo control group ( n = 30 ) . Patients were treated on Jiaji ( Ex-B2 ) points T8-T12 bilaterally for 30 min once a day for 3 days . Pain intensity was assessed with numerical rated scales ( NRS ) before the treatment ( Baseline ) , after 3 treatments , and 2 days follow-up . RESULTS Baseline characteristics were similar in the two groups . After 3 treatment , pain intensity on NRS decreased compared with Baseline ( -1.67 , 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] -1.46 to -1.87 ) in the electroacupuncture group ; there was little change ( -0.13 , 95 % CI 0.08 to -0.35 ) in control group ; the difference between two groups was statistically significant ( P < 0.001 ) . Follow-up also found a significant reduction in pain intensity in the electroacupuncture group compared with the control group ( P < 0.001 ) . CONCLUSIONS Electroacupuncture was an effective treatment for relieving pancreatic cancer pain Up to 50 % of women receiving aromatase inhibitor ( AI ) complain of AI-associated musculoskeletal symptoms ( AIMS S ) and 15 % discontinue treatment . We conducted a r and omized , sham-controlled trial to evaluate whether acupuncture improves AIMS S and to explore potential mechanisms . Postmenopausal women with early stage breast cancer , experiencing AIMS S were r and omized to eight weekly real or sham acupuncture sessions . We evaluated changes in the Health Assessment Question naire Disability Index ( HAQ-DI ) and pain visual analog scale ( VAS ) following the intervention compared to baseline . Serum estradiol , β-endorphin , and proinflammatory cytokine concentrations were measured pre and post-intervention . We enrolled 51 women of whom 47 were evaluable , including 23 r and omized to real and 24 to sham acupuncture . Baseline characteristics were balanced between groups with the exception of a higher HAQ-DI score in the real acupuncture group ( p = 0.047 ) . We did not observe a statistically significant difference in reduction of HAQ-DI ( p = 0.30 ) or VAS ( p = 0.31 ) between the two groups . Following eight weekly treatments , we observed a statistically significant reduction of IL-17 ( p ≤ 0.009 ) in both groups . No significant modulation was seen in estradiol , β-endorphin , or other proinflammatory cytokine concentrations in either group . We did not observe a significant difference in AIMS S changes between real and sham acupuncture . As sham acupuncture used in this study may not be equivalent to placebo , further studies with a non-acupuncture arm may be required to establish whether acupuncture is beneficial for the treatment of AIMS Flaws in the design , conduct , analysis , and reporting of r and omised trials can cause the effect of an intervention to be underestimated or overestimated . The Cochrane Collaboration ’s tool for assessing risk of bias aims to make the process clearer and more BACKGROUND Within a pilot trial regarding chemotherapy-induced neutropenia , the secondary aim of the main study was explored . This involved measuring the effects-as shown on two key measurement scales reflecting quality of life (QoL)-of verum versus sham acupuncture on patients with ovarian cancer during chemotherapy .  OBJECTIVE The aim of this sub study was to determine the feasibility of determining the effects of verum acupuncture versus sham acupuncture on QoL in patients with ovarian cancer during chemotherapy .  DESIGN This was a r and omized , sham-controlled trial . SETTING The trial was conducted at two cancer centers . PATIENTS Patients with ovarian cancer ( N=21 ) who were receiving chemotherapy-primarily intravenous carboplatin and paclitaxel-participated  in this sub study . INTERVENTION The participants were given either active or sham acupuncture 1 week prior to cycle 2 of chemotherapy . There were ten sessions of acupuncture , with manual and electro-stimulation over a 4-week period . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer- Quality -of-Life Question naire-Core 30 Item ( EORTC-QLQ-C30 ) and the Quality of Life Question naire-Ovarian Cancer Module-28 Item ( QLQ-OV28 ) were administered to the patients at baseline and at the end of their acupuncture sessions . RESULTS Of the original 21 , 15 patients ( 71 % ) completed the study , and 93 % of them completed the question naires . The EORTC-QLQ-C30 subscores were improved in the acupuncture arm , including the mean scores of social function ( SF ) , pain , and insomnia ( p=0.05 ) . However , after adjusting for baseline differences , only the SF score was significantly higher in the active acupuncture arm , compared with the sham acupuncture arm ( p=0.03 ) . CONCLUSIONS It appears feasible to conduct a r and omized sham-controlled acupuncture trial measuring QoL for patients with ovarian cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy . Acupuncture may have a role in improving QoL during chemotherapy The present study describes the development of a comprehensive quality of reporting assessment tool and its application to acupuncture RCTs from 1997–2007 . This Oregon CONSORT STRICTA Instrument ( OCSI ) is based on the revised CONSORT guidelines as modified by the STRICTA recommendations for acupuncture trials . Each of the result ing 27 OCSI items were applied to English language prospect i ve RCTs that compared acupuncture , using manual and /or electro-stimulation , to no treatment , a sham procedure , or usual biomedical care .  The 333 RCTs that met inclusion criteria were dispersed among 27 countries and 141 journals .  Mean quality of reporting score for all articles was 63.0 % ( SD 16.5 ) . Mean OCSI scores revealed a 30.9 % improvement over the ten-year period ( P < .001 ) . Our findings suggest that to enhance quality of reporting , authors should better attend to seven specific OCSI items in three categories : practitioner training , adverse events , and aspects of r and omization and blinding ( n = 5 ) . The broad diversity in geographical origin , publication site and quality of reporting , viewed in light of the considerable room for improvement in mean OCSI scores , emphasizes the importance of making STRICTA as well as CONSORT more widely known to journals and to the acupuncture research community BACKGROUND It is not known if verum ( real ) acupuncture is effective for nausea and vomiting ( emesis ) during radiotherapy . PATIENTS AND METHODS We r and omly treated 215 blinded cancer patients with verum : penetrating ' deqi ' creating acupuncture ( n = 109 ) or non-penetrating sham needles ( n = 106 ) two to three times per week . The patients documented emesis daily during the radiotherapy period . Primary end point was the number of patients with at least one episode of nausea . RESULTS In the verum and the sham acupuncture group , 70 % and 62 % experienced nausea at least once during the radiotherapy period ( relative risk 1.1 , 95 % CI 0.9 - 1.4 ) for a mean number of 10.1 and 8.7 days . Twenty five percent and 28 % vomited , and 42 % and 37 % used  antiemetic drugs  at least once , respectively . Ninety-five percent in the verum acupuncture group and 96 % in the sham acupuncture group believed that the treatment had been effective against nausea . In both groups , 67 % experienced positive effects on relaxation , mood , sleep or pain reduction and 89 % wished to receive the treatment again . CONCLUSION Acupuncture creating deqi is not more effective than sham in radiotherapy-induced nausea , but in this study , nearly all patients in both groups experienced that the treatment was effective for nausea In evidence -based medicine , r and omized controlled trials ( RCTs ) are the preferred method for evaluating the efficacy of interventions . In regard to acupuncture RCTs , the most difficult issues are the design of the control group and implementation of the principle of “ double-blinding . ” We compared the advantages and limitations associated with different control group design s in acupuncture RCTs , to assist research ers in this field OBJECTIVE To search for a safe and effective method for alleviating  cancer pain . METHODS 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 r and omly 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 . RESULTS 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 ) . CONCLUSION The analgesic effect of acupuncture treatment is better than that of the Three Step Administration , with no adverse effect and addiction of analgesics PURPOSE Women with breast cancer ( BC ) treated with aromatase inhibitors ( AIs ) may experience joint symptoms that can lead to discontinuation of effective therapy . We examined whether acupuncture improves AI-induced arthralgias in women with early-stage BC . METHODS We conducted a r and omized , controlled , blinded study comparing true acupuncture ( TA ) versus sham acupuncture ( SA ) twice weekly for 6 weeks in postmenopuasal women with BC who had self-reported musculoskeletal pain related to AIs .  TA included full body/auricular acupuncture and joint-specific point prescriptions , whereas SA involved superficial needle insertion at nonacupoint locations . Outcome measures included the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form ( BPI-SF ) , Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index ( WOMAC ) , and Modified Score for the Assessment of Chronic Rheumatoid Affections of the H and s ( M-SACRAH ) obtained at baseline and at 3 and 6 weeks . Results Of 51 women enrolled , 43 women were r and omly assigned and 38 were evaluable . Baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups . Our primary end point was the difference in mean BPI-SF worst pain scores at 6 weeks , which was lower for TA compared with SA ( 3.0 v 5.5 ; P < .001 ) . We also found differences between TA and SA in pain severity ( 2.6 v 4.5 ; P = .003 ) and pain-related interference ( 2.5 v 4.5 ; P = .002 ) at 6 weeks . Similar findings were seen for the WOMAC and M-SACRAH scores . The acupuncture intervention was well-tolerated . CONCLUSION Women with AI-induced arthralgias treated with TA had significant improvement of joint pain and stiffness , which was not seen with SA . Acupuncture is an effective and well-tolerated strategy for managing this common treatment-related side effect OBJECTIVE To observe the analgesic effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation ( TEAS ) in assisting general anesthesia ( GA ) for radical operation of breast carcinoma so as to explore its clinical application value . METHODS Sixty patients scheduled for radical operations of the breast carcinoma were r and omly and equally divided into GA group and TEAS+ GA group . For GA , Propofol [ 4.5 microg/mL , target concentration ; ( 3.0 + /- 0.5 ) microg/mL during operation ] was used in combination with Sufentanil ( 0.25 microg/kg ) and Cis-atracurium amine ( 0.2 mg/kg ) . TEAS ( 5 - 10 mA , 2 Hz/100 Hz ) was applied to Hegu ( LI 4)-Laogong ( PC 8) and Neiguan ( PC 6)-Waiguan ( SJ 5 ) on the affected side of the body for 30 min . Heart rate ( HR ) , mean aterial pressure ( MAP ) , tube removing time and postoperative complications were recorded . Plasma beta-endorphin content was assayed by radioimmunoassay . RESULTS After anesthesia , patients with reduction in MAP in GA group were significantly more than those in TEAS+GA group ( P < 0.05 ) , and their HR decreased remarkably ( P < 0.05 ) . After tracheal intubation , MAP in TEAS+GA group kept relatively stable , which was superior to that of GA group ( P < 0.05 ) . In comparison with GA group , the patients ' analepsia time and tube withdrawal time of TEAS+ GA group were significantly shorter ; and the dosage of analgesics of TEAS+GA group was significantly smaller than that of GA group ( P < 0.05 ) . Patients with complications of pain , restlessness , drowsiness , nausea and vomitting were obviously fewer in TEAS + GA group than those in GA group . Compared with GA group , plasma beta-endorphin content in TEAS+GA group increased considerably 30 min after TEAS , 5 min after skin-incision and after operation ( P < 0.05 ) . CONCLUSION TEAS combined with general anesthesia for breast radical carcinoma operation can help keep a stable blood pressure during surgery , reduce the dosage of analgesics and strengthen pain relief . The analgesic effect of TEAS may be related to its effect in up-regulating plasma beta-endorphin level OBJECTIVE We sought to determine whether an acupuncture technique specially developed for a surgical oncology population ( intervention ) reduces pain or analgesic use after thoracotomy compared with a sham acupuncture technique ( control ) . METHODS One hundred sixty-two patients with cancer undergoing thoracotomy  were r and omized to group A ( preoperative implantation of small intradermal needles that were retained for 4 weeks ) or group B ( preoperative placement of sham needles at the same schedule ) . The numeric rating scale of pain and total opioid use was evaluated during the in-patient stay , and the Brief Pain Inventory and Medication Quantification Scale were evaluated after discharge up to 3 months after the operation . RESULTS The principal analysis , a comparison of Brief Pain Inventory pain intensity scores at the 30-day follow-up , showed no significant difference between the intervention and control groups . Pain scores were marginally higher in the intervention group ( 0.05 ; 95 % confidence interval , 0.74 to -0.64 ; P = .9 ) . There were also no statistically significant differences between groups for secondary end points , including chronic pain assessment s at 60 and 90 days , in-patient pain , and medication use in the hospital and after discharge . CONCLUSION A special acupuncture technique , as provided in this study , did not reduce pain or use of pain medication after thoracotomy more than a sham technique BACKGROUND The role of electroacupuncture in  postthoracotomy pain control is uncertain . We conducted a pilot study to evaluate the role of electroacupuncture in the management of early postthoracotomy wound pain .  METHODS A total of 27 patients with operable non-small cell lung carcinoma who received thoracotomy were recruited and r and omized to receive either electroacupuncture or sham acupuncture in addition to routine oral analgesics and patient-controlled intravenous analgesia for postoperative pain control . All patients received acupuncture twice daily with visual analog pain score recorded for the first 7 postoperative days . Specific chest acupoints ( LI 4 , GB 34 , GB 36 , and TE 8) were targeted . Patient-controlled analgesia was used for the first 3 postoperative days in all patients , and the cumulative dosage used was recorded . RESULTS Two patients were excluded after r and omization because of complications unrelated to acupuncture . Interventions and data collection were completed for the remaining 25 patients ( 13 in the electroacupuncture group ; 12 in the sham acupuncture group ) . There was a trend for lower visual analog scale pain scores in the electro-acupuncture group between postoperative days 2 and 6 , although this did not reach statistical significance . The cumulative dose of patient-controlled analgesia morphine used on postoperative day 2 was significantly lower in the electroacupuncture group ( 7.5 + /- 5 mg versus 15.6 + /- 12 mg ; p < 0.05 ) . Such delay of onset of pain control may be related to the frequency of electroacupuncture used . CONCLUSIONS Electroacupuncture may reduce narcotic analgesic usage in the early postoperative period . A prospect i ve r and omized controlled trial using different electroacupuncture frequency is warranted to verify this benefit PURPOSE To determine whether acupuncture reduces pain and dysfunction in patients with cancer with a history of neck dissection . The secondary objective is to determine whether acupuncture relieves dry mouth in this population . PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients at a tertiary cancer center with chronic pain or dysfunction attributed to neck dissection were r and omly assigned to weekly acupuncture versus usual care ( eg , physical therapy , analgesia , and /or anti-inflammatory drugs , per patient preference or physician recommendation ) for 4 weeks . The Constant-Murley score , a composite measure of pain , function , and activities of daily living , was the primary outcome measure . Xerostomia , a secondary end point , was assessed using the Xerostomia Inventory . RESULTS Fifty-eight evaluable patients were accrued and r and omly assigned from 2004 to 2007 ( 28 and 30 patients on acupuncture and control arms , respectively ) . Constant-Murley scores improved more in the acupuncture group ( adjusted difference between groups = 11.2 ; 95 % CI , 3.0 to 19.3 ; P = .008 ) . Acupuncture produced greater improvement in reported xerostomia ( adjusted difference in Xerostomia Inventory = -5.8 ; 95 % CI , -0.9 to -10.7 ; P = .02 ) . CONCLUSION Significant reductions in pain , dysfunction , and xerostomia were observed in patients receiving acupuncture versus usual care . Although further study is needed , these data support the potential role of acupuncture in addressing post-neck dissection pain and dysfunction , as well as xerostomia OBJECTIVE To observe the complementary function of moxibustion and Guben Yiliu III ( GBYL ) , a Chinese herbal composite preparation , in combination with chemotherapy . METHODS Eighty-one patients of middle-late stage malignant tumor were r and omly divided into three groups , 16 in the control group treated with chemotherapy alone , 35 in the TCM group treated with chemotherapy combined GBYL and 30 in the TCM combined moxibustion group . The therapeutic effect of treatment was evaluated according to the immediate effect , living quality scoring , etc . RESULTS The comprehensive living quality score and Karnofsky score dropped significantly in the control group after treatment with significant increase of pain score and decrease of tongue figure score ( P < 0.05 or P < 0.01 ) . In the TCM group , the former two criteria lowered less than those in the control group , but no significant difference in the latter two criteria was shown . For those in the TCM combined moxibustion group , all the four criteria were improved better than those in the control group ( P < 0.01 or P < 0.05 ) . CONCLUSION GBYL combined or not combined with moxibustion could improve the living quality of patients received chemotherapy & NA ; Although pain assessment is a vital preliminary step towards the satisfactory control of cancer pain , data on the prevalence of different pain syndromes are rare . In a prospect i ve study of 2266 cancer patients , we assessed localisations , aetiologies and pathophysiological mechanisms of the pain syndromes . Thirty percent of the patients presented with 1 , 39 % with 2 and 31 % with 3 or more distinct pain syndromes . The majority of patients had pain caused by cancer ( 85 % ) or antineoplastic treatment ( 17 % ) ; 9 % had pain related to cancer disease and 9 % due to aetiologies unrelated to cancer . Pain could be classified as originating from nociceptors in bone ( 35 % ) , soft tissue ( 45 % ) or visceral structures ( 33 % ) or otherwise as of as neuropathic origin ( 34 % ) . In most patients , pain syndromes were located in the lower back ( 36 % ) , abdominal region ( 27 % ) , thoracic region ( 23 % ) , lower limbs ( 21 % ) , head ( 17 % ) and pelvic region ( 15 % ) . The main pain syndrome was also coded according to the IASP Classification of Chronic Pain . Regions and systems affected by the main pain syndrome showed large variation depending on the site of cancer origin , whereas temporal characteristics , intensity and aetiology were not markedly influenced by the cancer site . The variety of pain syndromes evaluated in our patients confirms the importance of comprehensive pain assessment prior to treatment PURPOSE 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 . PATIENTS AND METHODS Ninety patients were r and omly 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 r and omization using the VAS . RESULTS 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 ) . CONCLUSION 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 OBJECTIVE To probe the effect of previous analgesia of scalp acupuncture . METHODS Sixty cases of radical operation of intestinal cancer were r and omly divided into 2 groups : a scalp acupuncture plus epidural analgesia ( scalp acupuncture group ) and an epidural analgesia group , 30 cases in each group . The scalp acupuncture group received scalp acupuncture from 20 min before operation to the end of the operation , and epidural analgesia at the end of the operation . The epidural analgesia group only received epidural analgesia at the end of the operation . Recovery of VAS scores , BCS scores and gastrointestinal function after operation were investigated to probe into effects of scalp acupuncture on epidural morphine analgesia after operation in the patient of intestinal cancer . RESULTS The VAS scores at 6 h , 12 h , 24 h and 48 h in the scalp acupuncture group were lower than the epidural analgesia group , with significant differences at 6 h and 12 h between the two groups ( P < 0.05 ) . BCS scores at the 4 time points in the scalp acupuncture group were lower than the epidural analgesia group with significant differences between the two groups ( all P < 0.05 ) . The scalp acupuncture group in recovery of bowel sound , exsufflation from the anus in the scalp acupuncture group was faster than the epidural analgesia group ( P < 0.01 ) . CONCLUSION Scalp acupuncture has a certain previous analgesic effect , reducing discomfort of the patient after operation and promoting the recovery of gastrointestinal functions
nan