ArticleChinese medicine2013
Effects of acupuncture for cancer pain and quality of life - a case series.
Article in Chinese medicine, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Acupuncture to Improve Quality of Life in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Cancers · 2026Article
- Effectiveness of acupuncture as adjunctive therapy in type 2 diabetic: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.PloS one · 2023Article
- Acupuncture Effect Assessment in APP/PS1 Transgenic Mice: On Regulating Learning-Memory Abilities, Gut Microbiota, and Microbial Metabolites.Computational and mathematical methods in medicine · 2022Article
- Knowledge Mapping of Acupuncture for Cancer Pain: A Scientometric Analysis (2000-2019).Journal of pain research · 2021Article
- The effect of acupuncture on tumor growth and gut microbiota in mice inoculated with osteosarcoma cells.Chinese medicine · 2020Article
- Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline for Cancer Palliative Care: Pain, Constipation, and Insomnia.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMany cancer patients seek complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) including acupuncture to manage their cancer-related symptoms or side effects of treatments. Acupuncture is used to manage cancer pain and improve quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to conduct a preliminary study on a case series to evaluate the feasibility of acupuncture for treating cancer pain and to collect preliminary data on the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating cancer pain and improving QoL.
methodsA semi-standardized acupuncture treatment comprising one to three treatment sessions (20-30 minutes per session) per week for 8 weeks was provided by four licensed acupuncturists, who had more than 5 years of clinical experience, at the University Health Center. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C3) and a visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain rating were used as the outcome measures to assess pain and QoL. Data were collected at baseline, immediately after 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks of treatment and at 4 weeks after treatment completion (week 12).
resultsTwo males and five females with a median age of 66 years (range: 44-71 years) completed the study. For the VAS, the percentage of improvement ranged between 18% and 95%. The baseline mean raw score was reduced from 51 mm to 36 mm at the end of week 8 and to 23 mm at the end of week 12. The percentage of overall QoL improvement ranged between 20% and 100%. The mean raw score for QoL improved with time. The baseline score was increased from 55 to 69 at the end of treatment (week 8) and to 73 after the follow-up (week 12).
conclusionsThis pilot study on a case series showed that acupuncture might be beneficial for reducing pain and improving QoL in cancer patients.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.