Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2025
Acupoint Application Combined with Acupressure as an Adjunctive Therapy for Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting
Published on: June 21, 2024
Efficacy of Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation on Modulating Upper Extremity Sympathetic Skin Response in
Yongming Xu1, Junzhen Wu1, Qingqing Jiang2
1Department of Pain Management Center, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Objective:
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common side effect of chemotherapy and it is currently intractable We compared the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) against non-TEAS groups and investigated the variables that predict effective relief of upper extremity pain in cancer survivors with CIPN.
Methods:
We retrospectively collected data of cancer survivors who developed CIPN between May 2017 to March 2022. All eligible CIPN patients were divided into TEAS group (received TEAS) and non-TEAS group (did not receive TEAS) in our department. A 1:1 ratio propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance the baseline features. The change of numerical rating scale (NRS), Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire-2 (SF-MPQ-2), and sympathetic skin response (SSR) parameters are all assessed after treatment. The procedure was considered a clinically effective relief if the patients' NRS scores were reduced by 50% or more, and overall patients with effective relief were all counted after treatment. Furthermore, a multivariable logistic regression model was utilized to evaluate the predictors of effective relief following CIPN treatment.
Results:
A total of 102 cancer survivors with CIPN were analyzed after PSM (51 in each group). The change of NRS, SF-MPQ-2, SSR latency and SSR amplitude in TEAS group were significantly higher than those in non-TEAS group at 3 weeks after therapy (all P<0.01). In addition, the effective relief rate was significantly higher in TEAS group than in non-TEAS group (P=0.026). Multivariate logistic regression on the total study cohort showed that TEAS group (OR 2.783, P = 0.025) and the baseline SSR amplitude of the upper extremity <1265 µV (OR 12.191, P = 0.000) were independent predictive factors for the clinical efficacy.
Conclusions:
TEAS significantly decreased the severity of CIPN. TEAS group and baseline SSR amplitude of the upper extremity <1265 µV were the independent predictive factors for the clinical efficacy after treatment.
