Acupuncture in the Oncology Setting: Clinical Trial Update

• Published in: Current treatment options in oncology Vol. 11; no. 3-4; pp. 87 - 94
• Main Author: Capodice, Jillian L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01-12-2010; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acupuncture; Acupuncture Therapy - adverse effects; Acupuncture Therapy - methods; Cancer; Cancer therapies; Clinical Trials as Topic; Health facilities; Humans; Integrative Oncology; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Neoplasms - therapy; Oncology; Acupuncture Point; Acupuncture Treatment; Integrative Oncology; Auricular Acupuncture; Cancer Pain
• ISSN: 1527-2729; 1534-6277; 1534-5277
• DOI: 10.1007/s11864-010-0131-3

Opinion statement
Acupuncture, the insertion of sterile needles into acupuncture points of traditional meridians on the body, is a common and effective treatment for a number of supportive care issues in oncology including acute chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. In the Integrative Oncology setting, acupuncture and Traditional Oriental Medicine have become more visible and many oncology clinics, academic health centers and comprehensive cancer centers recommend and administer acupuncture treatment. Continued basic studies on the physiologic mechanisms of acupuncture and recent clinical trials of acupuncture for cancer patients are enhancing our knowledge and informing our guidelines. While debates on methodological problems confronting the study of acupuncture remain, the most recent research demonstrates that acupuncture is safe, tolerable and effective for a range of side effects resulting from conventional cancer treatments.