Study reveals acupuncture and massage as effective pain management in advanced cancer

In a recent clinical trial published in JAMA Network Open, researchers from the United States of America (USA) assessed and compared the effectiveness of acupuncture and massage therapy for musculoskeletal pain in 298 patients with advanced cancer. They found that both treatments could reduce pain, fatigue and insomnia in patients while improving their quality of life (QoL) over 26 weeks. The QoL of about 67% of patients with advanced cancer is hampered by pain, a debilitating symptom that often presents with fatigue and insomnia. Although the treatment of pain in these patients relies majorly on the use of opioids, the ongoing opioid crisis limits the prescription of and access to these drugs. Additionally, the potential side effects of such medications underscore the increased need and preference for alternative therapies for pain management. The 2022 guidelines from the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Society for Integrative Oncology recommend using acupuncture and massage for oncologic pain management. Evidence suggests that acupuncture is effective in treating pain in cancer survivors, but there’s a dearth of studies explicitly conducted on patients with advanced cancer. The long-term benefits of massage in cancer pain management have also not been thoroughly investigated or compared with those of acupuncture.