Acupuncture may ease severe nerve pain linked with cancer treatment

Washington -  Acupuncture may help relieving severe nerve pain experienced by the patients undergoing cancer treatment, a new study has suggested.

Cancer patients treated with taxanes, vinca alkaloids, or platinum compounds can develop a condition known as chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy, or CIPN for short, as a  by-product of their treatment.

These powerful drugs can damage peripheral nerves, particularly in the calves and feet, which can result in severe nerve pain and/or difficulty walking. As yet, there is no effective antidote.

Out of a total of 192 patients with peripheral neuropathy eligible for inclusion in the study, 11 had developed their symptoms during a course of chemotherapy for various types of cancer. Six  of these patients agreed to undergo acupuncture; the other five served as a comparison group.

Twenty needles were inserted at prescribed points and depths and left in place for 20 minutes during each of the 10 sessions. A senior doctor, who had been fully trained in acupuncture and  had used the technique for 20 years, delivered these over a period of three months.

Nerve conduction studies, to assess the signalling speed and intensity of two nerves in the same calf, were carried out before acupuncture and again six months after chemotherapy in the

six volunteers. The same studies on patients in the comparison group were carried out after they had completed their chemotherapy and then again six months later.

In those given acupuncture, both the speed and the intensity of the nerve signalling improved in five out of the six patients. And these same patients said their condition had improved.

Among those in the comparison group, speed remained the same in three, fell in one, and improved in one. Intensity remained the same in one, improved in two, and decreased in two.

“The data suggest that acupuncture has a positive effect on CIPN, as measured by objective parameters [nerve conduction studies],” said authors.

They concluded that the results of this pilot study are ‘encouraging’ and merit further investigation in a larger trial.

The study has been published in Acupuncture in Medicine.