Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Cancer
Published in: BMC Cancer 1/2017

Open Access 01-12-2017 | Research article

Acupuncture combined with methylcobalamin for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in patients with multiple myeloma

Authors: Xiaoyan Han, Lijuan Wang, Hongfei Shi, Gaofeng Zheng, Jingsong He, Wenjun Wu, Jimin Shi, Guoqing Wei, Weiyan Zheng, Jie Sun, He Huang, Zhen Cai

Published in: BMC Cancer | Issue 1/2017

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) seriously affects the quality of life of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) as well as the response rate to chemotherapy. Acupuncture has a potential role in the treatment of CIPN, but at present there have been no randomized clinical research studies to analyze the effectiveness of acupuncture for the treatment of CIPN, particularly in MM patients.

Methods

The MM patients (104 individuals) who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned into a solely methylcobalamin therapy group (500 μg intramuscular methylcobalamin injections every other day for 20 days; ten injections) followed by 2 months of 500 μg oral methylcobalamin administration, three times per day) and an acupuncture combined with methylcobalamin (Met + Acu) group (methylcobalamin used the same way as above accompanied by three cycles of acupuncture). Of the patients, 98 out of 104 completed the treatment and follow-ups. There were 49 patients in each group. The evaluating parameters included the visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy/Gynecologic Oncology Group-Neurotoxicity (Fact/GOG-Ntx) questionnaire scores, and electromyographic (EMG) nerve conduction velocity (NCV) determinations. We evaluated the changes of the parameters in each group before and after the therapies and made a comparison between the two groups.

Results

After 84 days (three cycles) of therapy, the pain was significantly alleviated in both groups, with a significantly higher decrease in the acupuncture treated group (P < 0.01). The patients’ daily activity evaluated by Fact/GOG-Ntx questionnaires significantly improved in the Met + Acu group (P < 0.001). The NCV in the Met + Acu group improved significantly while amelioration in the control group was not observed.

Conclusions

The present study suggests that acupuncture combined with methylcobalamin in the treatment of CIPN showed a better outcome than methylcobalamin administration alone.

Trial registration

China Clinical Trials Register (registration no. ChiCTR-INR-16009079, registration date August 24, 2016).
Literature
1.
Moreau P, Richardson PG, Cavo M, Orlowski RZ, San Miguel JF, Palumbo A, et al. Proteasome inhibitors in multiple myeloma: 10 years later. Blood. 2012;120(5):947–59.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
2.
Chauhan D, Hideshima T, Mitsiades C, Richardson P, Anderson KC. Proteasome inhibitor therapy in multiple myeloma. Mol Cancer Ther. 2005;4(4):686–92.CrossRefPubMed
3.
Bang SM, Lee JH, Yoon SS, Park S, Min CK, Kim CC, et al. A multicenter retrospective analysis of adverse events in Korean patients using bortezomib for multiple myeloma. Int J Hematol. 2006;83(4):309–13.CrossRefPubMed
4.
Richardson PG, Briemberg H, Jagannath S, Wen PY, Barlogie B, Berenson J, et al. Frequency, characteristics, and reversibility of peripheral neuropathy during treatment of advanced multiple myeloma with bortezomib. J Clin Oncol. 2006;24(19):3113–20.CrossRefPubMed
5.
Zhou Y, Garcia MK, Chang DZ, Chiang J, Lu J, Yi Q, et al. Multiple myeloma, painful neuropathy, acupuncture? Am J Clin Oncol. 2009;32(3):319–25.CrossRefPubMed
6.
Brunelli B, Gorson KC. The use of complementary and alternative medicines by patients with peripheral neuropathy. J Neurol Sci. 2004;218(1):59–66.CrossRefPubMed
7.
Ulett GA, Han J, Han S. Traditional and evidence-based acupuncture: history, mechanisms, and present status. South Med J. 1998;91(12):1115–20.CrossRefPubMed
8.
Donald GK, Tobin I, Stringer J. Evaluation of acupuncture in the management of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Acupunct Med. 2011;29(3):230–3.CrossRefPubMed
9.
Abuaisha BB, Costanzi JB, Boulton AJ. Acupuncture for the treatment of chronic painful peripheral diabetic neuropathy: a long-term study. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 1998;39(2):115–21.CrossRefPubMed
10.
Zhang C, Ma YX, Yan Y. Clinical effects of acupuncture for diabetic peripheral neuropathy. J Tradit Chin Med. 2010;30(1):13–4.CrossRefPubMed
11.
Zhao JL, Li ZR. Clinical observation on mild-warm moxibustion for treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2008;28(1):13–6.PubMed
12.
Ahn AC, Bennani T, Freeman R, Hamdy O, Kaptchuk TJ. Two styles of acupuncture for treating painful diabetic neuropathy--a pilot randomised control trial. Acupunct Med. 2007;25(1–2):11–7.CrossRefPubMed
13.
Zhao HL, Gao X, Gao YB. Clinical observation on effect of acupuncture in treating diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 2007;27(4):312–4.PubMed
14.
Jiang H, Shi K, Li X, Zhou W, Cao Y. Clinical study on the wrist-ankle acupuncture treatment for 30 cases of diabetic peripheral neuritis. J Tradit Chin Med. 2006;26(1):8–12.PubMed
15.
Phillips KD, Skelton WD, Hand GA. Effect of acupuncture administered in a group setting on pain and subjective peripheral neuropathy in persons with human immunodeficiency virus disease. J Altern Complement Med. 2004;10(3):449–55.CrossRefPubMed
16.
Galantino ML, Eke-Okoro ST, Findley TW, Condoluci D. Use of noninvasive electroacupuncture for the treatment of HIV-related peripheral neuropathy: a pilot study. J Altern Complement Med. 1999;5(2):135–42.CrossRefPubMed
17.
Wang YP, Ji L, Li JT, Pu JQ, Liu FJ. Effects of acupuncture on diabetic peripheral neuropathies. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2005;25(8):542–4.PubMed
18.
Minton O, Higginson IJ. Electroacupuncture as an adjunctive treatment to control neuropathic pain in patients with cancer. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2007;33(2):115–7.CrossRefPubMed
19.
Alimi D, Rubino C, Pichard-Leandri E, Fermand-Brule S, Dubreuil-Lemaire ML, Hill C. Analgesic effect of auricular acupuncture for cancer pain: a randomized, blinded, controlled trial. J Clin Oncol. 2003;21(22):4120–6.CrossRefPubMed
20.
Wong R, Sagar S. Acupuncture treatment for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy--a case series. Acupunct Med. 2006;24(2):87–91.CrossRefPubMed
21.
Schroder S, Liepert J, Remppis A, Greten JH. Acupuncture treatment improves nerve conduction in peripheral neuropathy. Eur J Neurol. 2007;14(3):276–81.PubMed
22.
Bao T, Goloubeva O, Pelser C, Porter N, Primrose J, Hester L, et al. A pilot study of acupuncture in treating bortezomib-induced peripheral neuropathy in patients with multiple myeloma. Integr Cancer Ther. 2014;13(5):396–404.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
23.
Garcia MK, Cohen L, Guo Y, Zhou Y, You B, Chiang J, et al. Electroacupuncture for thalidomide/bortezomib-induced peripheral neuropathy in multiple myeloma: a feasibility study. J Hematol Oncol. 2014;7:41.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
24.
Trotti A, Colevas AD, Setser A, Rusch V, Jaques D, Budach V, et al. CTCAE v3.0: development of a comprehensive grading system for the adverse effects of cancer treatment. Semin Radiat Oncol. 2003;13(3):176–81.CrossRefPubMed
25.
Cheng X. Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion. Beijing: Foreign Language Press; 1999.
26.
Kong J, Gollub R, Huang T, Polich G, Napadow V, Hui K, et al. Acupuncture de qi, from qualitative history to quantitative measurement. J Altern Complement Med. 2007;13(10):1059–70.CrossRefPubMed
27.
Huang HQ, Brady MF, Cella D, Fleming G. Validation and reduction of FACT/GOG-Ntx subscale for platinum/paclitaxel-induced neurologic symptoms: a gynecologic oncology group study. Int J Gynecol Cancer. 2007;17(2):387–93.CrossRefPubMed
28.
29.
Postma TJ, Heimans JJ. Grading of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Ann Oncol. 2000;11(5):509–13.CrossRefPubMed
30.
Zhang ZJ, Wang XM, McAlonan GM. Neural acupuncture unit: a new concept for interpreting effects and mechanisms of acupuncture. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:429412.PubMedPubMedCentral
31.
Litscher G, Wang L, Huber E, Nilsson G. Changed skin blood perfusion in the fingertip following acupuncture needle introduction as evaluated by laser Doppler perfusion imaging. Lasers Med Sci. 2002;17(1):19–25.CrossRefPubMed
32.
Takayama S, Watanabe M, Kusuyama H, Nagase S, Seki T, Nakazawa T, et al. Evaluation of the effects of acupuncture on blood flow in humans with ultrasound color Doppler imaging. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:513638.PubMedPubMedCentral
33.
Argyriou AA, Bruna J, Marmiroli P, Cavaletti G. Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity (CIPN): an update. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2012;82(1):51–77.CrossRefPubMed
34.
Cavaletti G, Bogliun G, Marzorati L, Zincone A, Piatti M, Colombo N, et al. Early predictors of peripheral neurotoxicity in cisplatin and paclitaxel combination chemotherapy. Ann Oncol. 2004;15(9):1439–42.CrossRefPubMed
35.
Dong ZQ, Ma F, Xie H, Wang YQ, Wu GC. Changes of expression of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor and its receptor in dorsal root ganglions and spinal dorsal horn during electroacupuncture treatment in neuropathic pain rats. Neurosci Lett. 2005;376(2):143–8.CrossRefPubMed
36.
Gao Y, Chen S, Xu Q, Yu K, Wang J, Qiao L, et al. Proteomic analysis of differential proteins related to anti-nociceptive effect of electroacupuncture in the hypothalamus following neuropathic pain in rats. Neurochem Res. 2013;38(7):1467–78.CrossRefPubMed
Metadata
Title
Acupuncture combined with methylcobalamin for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in patients with multiple myeloma
Authors
Xiaoyan Han
Lijuan Wang
Hongfei Shi
Gaofeng Zheng
Jingsong He
Wenjun Wu
Jimin Shi
Guoqing Wei
Weiyan Zheng
Jie Sun
He Huang
Zhen Cai
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Cancer / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2407
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-016-3037-z

Other articles of this Issue 1/2017

BMC Cancer 1/2017 Go to the issue

Research article

Fluorescent CXCR4 targeting peptide as alternative for antibody staining in Ewing sarcoma

Research article

Clinical outcomes of transoral videolaryngoscopic surgery for hypopharyngeal and supraglottic cancer

Research article

Prognostic histological factors in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after preoperative chemoradiation followed by surgery

Research article

Association between self-perception of aging, view of cancer and health of older patients in oncology: a one-year longitudinal study

Case report

ALK-rearranged lung squamous cell carcinoma responding to alectinib: a case report and review of the literature

Research article

Assessing the adequacy of lymph node yield for different tumor stages of colon cancer by nodal staging scores
Webinar | 19-02-2024 | 17:30 (CET)

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on antibody–drug conjugates in cancer

Watch now

Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) are novel agents that have shown promise across multiple tumor types. Explore the current landscape of ADCs in breast and lung cancer with our experts, and gain insights into the mechanism of action, key clinical trials data, existing challenges, and future directions.

Dr. Véronique Diéras
Prof. Fabrice Barlesi
Developed by: Springer Medicine
Image Credits