Acupuncture Found to Help Alleviate Cancer Pain and Treatment

In the largest clinical trial of its kind, new research reveals that acupuncture can improve pain associated with cancer care. Whereas previous acupuncture studies focused mainly on breast cancer, this study included prostate cancer, lymphoma, and other diseases. The three-year trial, the results of which were published in JAMA Oncology in March 2021, included 360 cancer survivors and was performed at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK). Researchers found that two types of acupuncture significantly reduced survivors’ chronic pain. 

Jun Mao, MD, MSCE, chief of the Integrative Medicine Service at MSK, says that cancer patients can choose acupuncture for a drug-free option to help control and improve the side effects of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. Concentrating on two types of acupuncture—electroacupuncture and auricular (ear) acupuncture—scientists set out to discern the most effective method of alleviating the pain of cancer. Electroacupuncture uses very small, thin needles, the width of a hair, along with a low-frequency electric current to stimulate points on the body. Auricular acupuncture involves the use of little studs that look like tiny earrings which stimulate up to ten points in a patient’s ear for three to four days.

Study participants were divided into three groups and administered one of the following: electroacupuncture, ear acupuncture, or traditional medication such as opioids or over-the-counter pain relief. The researchers determined that both electroacupuncture and ear acupuncture significantly reduced chronic pain compared to usual care. Ear acupuncture was, however, not as effective as electroacupuncture, which was better tolerated and produced a one-point drop in pain level on a scale of 0 to 10. Eleven percent of those receiving ear acupuncture dropped out of treatment primarily because of ear pain.

According to Mao, “The pain relief of acupuncture lasts for months, which differs from pain medications, which must be taken frequently.”

Mao says he hopes the findings of the study will lead to expanded health insurance coverage for acupuncture for cancer survivors. Medicare coverage of acupuncture for lower-back pain is inconsistent. He believes the situation is urgent: “People from lower socioeconomic statuses may not have the same access to acupuncture if it remains uncovered.“