On December 19, JAMA Oncology published A paper titled “Clinical Evidence for Association of Acupuncture and Acupressure With Improved Cancer Pain: A Systematic Review and meta-analysis” by Professor Zhang of the Department of Oncology, Guangdong hospital of traditional Chinese medicine.

Pain is one of the most common symptoms in cancer patients, with more than 70% of cancer patients accompanied by pain, and nearly 50% of cancer pain is not effectively controlled. Although the three-step analgesia principle advocated by the world health organization offers effective ways to relieve cancer pain, the addictive nature of painkillers and the side effects of drugs pose serious challenges to pain management. As an effective analgesic, TCM acupuncture has received international attention, and the American society of clinical oncology and the national comprehensive cancer network (NCCN) also recommend the use of non-drug interventions, such as acupuncture, to treat cancer pain.

The results demonstrated for the first time that acupuncture and/or acupressure were significantly associated with the reduction of cancer pain and the use of analgesics, compared with sham acupuncture.

He Y, Guo X, May BH, et al. Clinical Evidence for Association of Acupuncture and Acupressure With Improved Cancer Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA Oncol. Published online December 19, 2019. doi:https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaoncol.2019.5233