Acupuncture for Neoplasms: An Update from the PubMed Database.

Background

The therapeutic mainstays of cancer remain surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. However, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are often associated with serious side-effects, such as nausea and vomiting. Acupuncture has been used widely to treat disorders in clinical practice for at least 3000 years. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Statement, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting are suitable for acupuncture intervention.

Objectives

The goal of this review is to analyze the applications of acupuncture for treating cancer and to look ahead at the potential advantages of acupuncture for patients with cancer. Materials and

Methods

The PubMed database was searched for articles on acupuncture therapy and neoplasms. The different distributions of scientific papers were analyzed preliminarily.

Results

The articles found showed that acupuncture was used to address various symptoms related to different types of cancer.

Conclusions

The results of clinical trials in acupuncture have provided important clues in oncologic practice. The evidence suggests that acupuncture is a safe and effective therapy for managing cancer and treatment-related symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting and fatigue caused by chemotherapy. As more evidence emerges, the potential advantages of acupuncture in tumor treatment will eventually be clear.