Electroacupuncture Versus Analgesics for Patients with Stage IIIB Cervical Cancer Post Cisplatin Chemotherapy

Background: The prevalence of pain at advanced cervical cancer stages is increasing. Existing World Health Organization recommendations for management comprises a 3-step ladder of analgesic therapy but this still cannot address this pain optimally. An alternative therapy used to reduce pain, acupuncture, is almost without side-effects, is safe, and is easy to implement. This study compared electroacupuncture (EA) versus paracetamol 500 mg +10-mg codeine therapy for patients with stage-IIIB cervical cancer post cisplatin chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: Participants were divided into 2 groups (treatment and control groups). A quasiexperimental study was conducted using a nonequivalent control group pretest-post-test design. Participants in the treatment group were given EA for 30 minutes 10 times over 3 weeks, while participants in the control group were given paracetamol 3 × 500 mg and codeine 3 × 10 mg orally every day for 3 weeks. Statistical analysis used paired t-tests, a Wilcoxon test, an independent t-test, or a Mann-Whitney-U test with P < 0.05. Results: Pretest and post-test pain-scale levels were 5.39 ± 0.62 and 4.57 ± 0.88, respectively (P < 0.001). Average endorphin-β levels at pretest and post-test were 571.80 ± 281.13 and 491.14 ± 272.14, respectively (P = 0.818). Median values of quality of life at pretest and post-test were 681.75 (range: 503.80-915.20) and 635.25 (range: 538.20-781.20; P = 0.383), respectively. Conclusions: Pain-control therapy using drugs or EA produces similar results. However, EA, subjectively, produces improved pain-scale results better than pharmaceuticals.