Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2022 Oct;128(20):3641-3652.
doi: 10.1002/cncr.34422. Epub 2022 Aug 12.

Impact of acupuncture and integrative therapies on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: A multicentered, randomized controlled trial

Eran Ben-Arye  1   2 , David Hausner  3   4 , Noah Samuels  5 , Dorit Gamus  3   6 , Ofer Lavie  2   7 , Tamar Tadmor  2   8 , Orit Gressel  1   2 , Abed Agbarya  1   9 , Samuel Attias  10 , Adi David  4 , Elad Schiff  2   10
Affiliations
Free article
Randomized Controlled Trial

Impact of acupuncture and integrative therapies on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: A multicentered, randomized controlled trial

Eran Ben-Arye et al. Cancer. 2022 Oct.
Free article

Abstract

Background: To explore the impact of acupuncture with other complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) modalities on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) and quality of life (QoL) in oncology patients.

Methods: In this prospective, pragmatic, and patient-preference study, patients with CIPN were treated with acupuncture and CIM therapies (intervention group) or standard care alone (controls) for 6 weeks. Patients in the intervention arm were randomized to twice-weekly acupuncture-only (group A) or acupuncture with additional manual-movement or mind-body CIM therapies (group B). Severity of CIPN was assessed at baseline and at 6 weeks using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Taxane (FACT-Tax) tool. Other QoL-related outcomes were assessed with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC); and the Measure Yourself Concerns and Well-being questionnaire. Von Frey measurements examined perception thresholds.

Results: Of 168 participants, 136 underwent the study intervention (group A, 69; group B, 67), with 32 controls. Baseline-to-6-week assessment scores improved significantly in the intervention arm (vs controls) on FACT-Tax (p = .038) and emotional well-being (p = .04) scores; FACT-TAX scores for hand numbness/tingling (p = .007) and discomfort (p < .0001); and EORTC physical functioning (p = .045). Intervention groups A and B showed improved FACT-Tax physical well-being (p < .001), FACT-TAX total score (p < .001), FACT-TAX feet discomfort (p = .003), and EORTC pain (p = .017) scores.

Conclusions: Acupuncture, with or without CIM modalities, can relieve CIPN-related symptoms during oncology treatment. This is most pronounced for hand numbness, tingling, pain, discomfort, and for physical functioning.

Keywords: acupuncture; chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy; integrative medicine; integrative oncology; pain.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Seretny M, Currie GL, Sena ES, et al. Incidence, prevalence, and predictors of chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Pain. 2014;155(12):2461-2470.
    1. Wang XM, Lehky TJ, Brell JM, Dorsey SG. Discovering cytokines as targets for chemotherapy-induced painful peripheral neuropathy. Cytokine. 2012;59:3-9.
    1. Kolb NA, Smith AG, Singleton JR, et al. The association of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy symptoms and the risk of falling. JAMA Neurol. 2016;73(7):860-866.
    1. Pachman DR, Barton DL, Watson JC, Loprinzi CL. Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: prevention and treatment. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2011;90:377-387.
    1. Ciouroui C, Weimer LH. Update on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep. 2017;17:47.

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources