According to the results of a study presented at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, acupuncture is more effective than usual care in reducing pain and dysfunction following neck dissection for head and neck cancer.¹

Head and neck cancers include cancers of the oral cavity, nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, pharynx, and larynx. Depending on the location and stage of the cancer, treatment may involve surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or a combination of these approaches. Neck dissection involves surgical removal of lymph nodes and other tissue from the neck, and may be performed to treat cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes.

In a previous small randomized study of acupuncture, 38 patients with radiation-induced xerostomia were randomized to classical accupunture (n=20) or superficial acupuncture as placebo (n=18). Among those patients who had had all their salivary glands irradiated, 50% in both groups showed increased salivary flow rates (>20%) by the end of the observation period of one year.²

To evaluate the ability of acupuncture to reduce pain and dysfunction following a neck dissection, researchers conducted a study among 70 patients who had had a neck dissection at least three months previously, and who were experiencing pain and/or dysfunction (Constant-Murley score<70) as a result of the neck dissection.

Patients were assigned to receive either weekly acupuncture or usual care. Usual care involved treatments such as pain medications and physical therapy.

• A response to treatment (defined as at least a 33% improvement in Constant-Murley score) was experienced by 39% of the patients in the acupuncture group versus 7% of patients in the usual care group.
• Patients treated with acupuncture were also more likely to report an improvement in xerostomia.

Comments: Although these results will need to be confirmed in additional studies, they suggest that acupuncture may be useful in managing pain and dysfunction in patients with head and neck cancer.

Reference: 

¹ Pfister D, Vickers A, Deng G et al. Acupuncture for pain and dysfunction after neck dissection: preliminary results of a randomized controlled trial. Proceedings from the 44th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Chicago, IL. 2008. Abstract #6016.

² Blom M, Dawidson I, Fernberg JO, Johnson G, et al. Acupuncture treatment of patients with radiation-induced xerostomia. Eur J Cancer B Oral Oncol. 1996 May;32B(3):182-90