The role of acupuncture as an adjunct pain relief option for people with cancer

Abstract

Pain is acknowledged as a common symptom by people living with cancer while inadequate pain management may adversely affect quality of life. This literature review explores the role of acupuncture in treating cancer related pain. Six studies carried out on 284 patients, at different cancer stages were reviewed. The Quality Assessment Tool for Studies with Diverse Designs (QATSDD) critical appraisal tool was utilised to appraise the quality of the studies, findings were synthesized using a narrative synthesis approach.Acupuncture was found to have good efficacy in pain relief as an additional therapy, with minimal side effects, relieving those of other oncology treatments. Optimal acupuncture frequency requires further enquiry. Findings indicate that acupuncture when used simultaneously with other management approaches, resulted in decreased pain caused by cancer lesion and other oncology therapies.Further research is recommended to enable incorporation of acupuncture therapy into routine cancer care. To be effective, nurses caring for people living with cancer must personalise pain management to patient's preferences. These findings, with acupuncture advice provided by Cancer Research UK (2022) and the European Society for Medical Oncology's (ESMO) (Fallon et al 2018), Cancer Pain Management Guidelines may be helpful for nurses supporting people living with cancer.