Acupuncture versus massage for pain in patients living with advanced cancer: The IMPACT randomized clinical trial.

Authors

null

Jun J. Mao

Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY

Jun J. Mao , Kevin Liou , Sally A. D. Romero , Raymond E Baser , Greta Wong , Han Xiao , Gary Deng , Zunli Mo , Desiree Walker , Jodi Elizabeth MacLeod , Qing Susan Li , Margaret Barton-Burke , Katherine Panageas , John T Farrar , Andrew S. Epstein

Organizations

Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at Basking Ridge New Jersey, Basking Ridge, NJ, Miami Cancer Institute, Miami, FL, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Research Funding

Other
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), U.S. National Institutes of Health

Background: Pain represents a challenging symptom for patients living with advanced cancer and is often associated with fatigue and insomnia. While American Society for Clinical Oncology clinical guidelines recommend acupuncture and massage for oncological pain management, the long-term comparative effectiveness between these two therapies is unknown, particularly among those living with advanced cancer. Methods: We conducted a pragmatic randomized clinical trial to compare acupuncture and massage for musculoskeletal pain among patients living with advanced cancer who experienced at least moderate pain and had a life expectancy of at least six months. Patients received weekly acupuncture or massage treatments for ten weeks, followed by monthly booster sessions up to 26 weeks. The primary endpoint was the change in worst pain intensity score measured by the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) from baseline to 26 weeks. The secondary outcomes included pain-related interference (BPI), pain medication usage, patient-reported fatigue, insomnia, and quality of life. Analyses were performed using linear mixed models adhering to intent to treat. Results: Among 298 participants (mean age [SD] 58.7 [14.1] years, baseline worst pain 6.6 [1.5], 67.1% women, 25.9% non-white, 15.4% Hispanic, cancer types [21.5% hematologic, 19.8% breast, 14.4% gynecological, and 11.7% gastrointestinal, 9.7% lung, and 9.7% prostate]), 242 (81.2%) completed the primary endpoint. From baseline to week 26, acupuncture reduced worst pain by 2.53 points (95% CI 2.15-2.92) while massage reduced worst pain by 3.01 points (95% CI 2.63-3.38); the between-group difference was not significant (0.48, 95% CI -0.03-0.98, p = 0.066). Both treatments reduced pain-related interference and pain medication usage and improved comorbid fatigue, insomnia, and quality of life to a similar degree without between-group differences. Adverse events were mild: bruising was reported by 9 (6.5%) acupuncture patients, and transient soreness was reported by 21(15.1%) massage patients and 8 (5.8%) acupuncture patients. Despite receiving close in-person treatment, no known COVID-19 transmission was reported between patients and providers. Conclusions: Among patients living with advanced cancer, acupuncture and massage produced similar clinically meaningful improvements in pain and comorbid fatigue and insomnia, decreased use of pain medications, and improved quality of life. Integrating these non-pharmacological therapies into comprehensive cancer care can improve symptom management and quality of life for the ever-growing number of patients living with advanced cancer as a chronic illness. Clinical trial information: NCT04095234.

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2023 ASCO Annual Meeting

Session Type

Poster Session

Session Title

Symptoms and Survivorship

Track

Symptom Science and Palliative Care

Sub Track

Palliative Care and Symptom Management

Clinical Trial Registration Number

Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT04095234

Citation

J Clin Oncol 41, 2023 (suppl 16; abstr 12101)

DOI

10.1200/JCO.2023.41.16_suppl.12101

Abstract #

12101

Poster Bd #

469

Abstract Disclosures

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