This article aims to review the clinical research outcomes of acupuncture for the treatment of moderate to severe cancer-related pain over the past decade. By searching and reviewing clinical research literature on acupuncture for moderate to severe cancer-related pain from 2014 to 2024, this paper organizes and summarizes the progress in clinical research over the last 10 years. In the treatment of moderate to severe cancer-related pain, acupuncture therapies are diverse, including traditional acupuncture, electroacupuncture, acupoint injection, and comprehensive treatments. When combined with one or more acupuncture therapies, the clinical analgesic effects are generally superior to those of simple three-step drug therapy alone. Additionally, acupuncture can reduce the use of analgesic medications and their side effects, prolong the duration of pain relief, and help patients improve their quality of life. It has the advantages of being safe, economical, easy to operate, and easily disseminated, and holds good application value in clinical practice.

Yisen Wang, Ruihui Wang. Acupuncture for Moderate to Severe Cancer-Related Pain: A Review of Clinical Research Progress. Frontiers in Medical Science Research (2024), Vol. 6, Issue 12: 20-27. https://doi.org/10.25236/FMSR.2024.061204.

[1] SUNG H, FERLAY J,SIEGEL R L,et al. Global cancer statistics 2020:  GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries[J]. CA Cancer J Clin,2021,71(3): 209-249.

[2] Deng, D. J. The 2020 edition of the World Cancer Report is released: Adjusting cance prevention strategies to adapt to new trends in cancer epidemiology[J]. Journal of Integrated Cancer Therapy, 2020, 6(3): 27-32..

[3] C.I. Ripamonti, D. Santini, E. Maranzano. Cancer Pain Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines (2018 Edition)[J]. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2018, 23(10): 937-944.

[4] VAN DEN BEUKEN-VAN EVERDINGEN M H J,HOCHSTENBACH L M J, JOOSTEN E A J, et al. Update on prevalence of pain in patients with cancer:systematic review and meta-analysis[J]. J Pain Symptom Manage,2016,51(6): 1070-1090.e9.

[5] National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, National Health Commission Office. Cancer Pain Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines (2018 Edition)[J]. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2018, 23(10): 937-944.

[6] PAICE J A. Cancer pain during an epidemic and a pandemic[J]. Curr Opin Support Palliat Care,2022,16(2): 55-59.

[7] PALEY CA,JOHNSON MI,TASHANI OA,et a1.Acupuncture for cancer pain in adults[J]. Cochrane Database Syst Rev,2015(10):7753. 

[8] Zheng K, Song J, Gao Y, et al. Clinical observation on the relief of moderate to severecancer pain in lung cancer by acupuncture[J]. Journal of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2015, 17(01): 19-21.

[9] Yang F Y, Liu S Y. Clinical observation of acupuncture combined with anti-inflammatory and analgesic suppositories for treating cancer pain[J]. Chinese Medical Engineering, 2011, 19(08): 112-113.

[10] HUI J R, ZHANG N, LI M, et al. Clinical observation on acupuncture combined with three-step analgesic therapy in the treatment of 40 cases of cancer pain[J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2019, 60(2): 146-149.

[11] FELDT KS,RYDEN MB,MILES S.  Treatment of pain in cognitively impaired compared with cognitively intact older patients with hip-fracture[J]. J Am Geriatr Soc,1998,46 ( 9) : 1079-1085. 

[12] LU X T. Clinical research on acupuncture combined with three-step analgesia for treating cancer pain[D]. Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2021.

[13] WANG C. Clinical Study on Electroacupuncture Combined with Hydromorphone for the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Cancer Pain of Blood Stasis Type[J]. New Chinese Medicine, 2019, 51(10): 242-244.

[14] YIN Y F, ZHOU J H, LI C H, et al. Clinical research on the prevention and treatment of peripheral neurotoxicity caused by chemotherapy drugs with the formula of benefiting qi and activating blood circulation[J]. Journal of Basic Chinese Medicine, 2024, 30(11): 1914-1917.

[15] XUAN J, SHU Z H. Efficacy evaluation of auricular acupuncture for treating liver cancer pain in 40 cases[J]. Modern Distance Education of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2017, 15(18): 112-113.

[16] HOU X L. Clinical observation of auricular acupuncture combined with Xiao Yao San for treating breast cancer patients with liver stagnation and qi stagnation during the rehabilitation period[D]. Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2016.

[17] ZHAO S G. Clinical observation of opioid drugs combined with eye acupuncture therapy for cancer pain [J]. Guangming Chinese Medicine, 2024, 39(02): 344-346.

[18] TIAN W Z, HAI Y. Eye Acupuncture Therapy[M]. Beijing: People's Medical Publishing House, 2014; 1-89.

[19] SUN T, CAI M Y, ZHU M X, et al. Clinical observation of moxibustion at Ah Shi pointscombined with three-step analgesia for treating cancer pain[J]. Journal of Hubei University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2024, 26(02): 82-84.

[20] CHEN R, ZENG R F, FANG P, et al. The impact of auricular acupressure combined withcontrolled-release oxycodone hydrochloride tablets on the number of pain breakouts and PPI and KPS scores in patients with cancer pain[J]. Western Medicine, 2021, 33(11): 1683-1686.

[21] JENSEN M P, KAROLY P, BRAVER S. The measurement of clinical pain intensity: a comparison of six methods[J]. Pain, 1986, 27(1): 117-126.

[22] WANG J, LU D R, BI R, et al. Clinical observation of auricular acupoint seed therapy for moderate to severe cancer pain in bone metastasis in 30 cases[J]. Yunnan Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Materia Medica, 2015, 36(2): 43-45.

[23] WEI Y G, ZHOU C P. Efficacy observation of acupoint embedding thread therapy for lung cancer pain[J]. Journal of Preventive Medicine of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, 2016, 34(S1): 297-298.

[24] ZHANG Y Z. Clinical research on wrist-ankle acupuncture combined with opioid drugs for treating moderate to severe cancer pain[D]. Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2024.

[25] WANG L L, LIN X D, QUAN B Q, et al. Efficacy observation of wrist-ankle acupuncture combined with opioid drugs for treating liver cancer pain [J]. Shanghai Journal of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, 2021, 40(11): 1336-1340.

[26] ZHANG Y T, LI Z Q, ZHANG J X, et al. Clinical effect of fire needle therapy for pain caused by bone metastasis cancer[J]. China Medical Herald, 2024, 21(01): 136-140.

[27] Ganguly A,Michael M,Goschin S,et al.Cancer Pain and O-pioid Use Disorder[J].Oncology (Williston Park),2022,36(9):535-541.

[28]  GUO H L. The impact of acupoint injection on analgesic effects in patients with liver cancer pain[J]. General Practice and Oral Medicine, 2019, 6(26): 172-173. 

[29] FAN X L. Clinical effect analysis of acupoint plastering combined with controlled-release oxycodone hydrochloride tablets for patients with moderate to severe cancer pain[J]. Chinese Practical Medicine, 2023, 18(12): 149-152.

[30] WANG H, LIU X J, MA Y H. Clinical observation of transdermal electrical nerve stimulation combined with low-dose hydroxycodone for pain in non-small cell lung cancer with bone metastasis[J]. Chinese Journal of Frontiers of Medical Sciences (Electronic Edition), 2021, 13(01): 60-64.

[31] FERREIRA A P, COSTA D R, OLIVEIRA A I, et al. Short-term transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation reduces pain and improves the masticatory muscle activity in temporomandibular disorder patients: a randomized controlled trial[J]. J Appl Oral Sci, 2017, 25(2):112-120.

[32] SUN R R, WANG S, ZENG Y L. Recent progress in clinical research on acupuncture for cancer pain[J]. Chinese Journal of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, 2015, 4(4): 182-185.

[33] WU M M. Clinical research on electroacupuncture combined with acupoint embeddingthread therapy for moderate cancer pain[D]. Guangxi University of Traditional ChineseMedicine, 2022.

[34] Chinese Medical Association. Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines: Painology Volume [M]. Beijing: People's Medical Publishing House, 2007.

[35] Li H Y. The influence of electronic moxibustion instrument combined with acupoint plaster and auricular acupuncture on cancer-related fatigue, pain, and quality of life in lung cancer patients [J]. Medical Equipment, 2022, 35(16): 175-177.

[36] Xu X Y, Xu Q. The simplification and application value study of the perioperative fatigue assessment scale in Chinese and its application in patients after gastrointestinal tumor surgery [J]. Chinese General Practice, 2019, 22(2): 210-214.

[37] Wu J, Wang Y, Zhang Y, et al. Clinical observation of the impact of acupuncture combined with auricular therapy and three-step analgesic ladder on cancer pain[J]. Shanghai Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2017, 51(10): 48-51

[38] Liu W L, Yang G, Rui Y H, et al. Validation of the effectiveness of the EORTC QLQ-STO22 questionnaire for gastric cancer patients in China[J]. Tumor Research and Clinical, 2016, 28(9): 595-599.

[39] Gao S Z, Yang J. Acupuncture Therapy[M]. Beijing: China Press of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2016: 7-8.