Acupuncture for patients with Cancer in a Japanese palliative care team: A prospective case series study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The joint guidelines of the Society for Integrative Oncology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology recommend acupuncture for pain symptoms in some patients with cancer. This study assessed whether adding acupuncture to usual palliative care alleviates the subjective symptoms of hospitalized patients with cancer in Japan, at least in the short term.

Methods

Between 2015 and 2019, we conducted a prospective case series study at a regional core hospital in Osaka. Acupuncture was included in the usual care of patients with cancer. The primary outcome was immediate changes in each patient's subjective symptoms measured by a 10 cm visual analog scale (VAS). A 20 % reduction in VAS was set as the minimal clinically important difference (MCID).

Results

A to

SUBMITTER: Masuyama S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12419068 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature