Successful Acupuncture Treatment of Xerostomia After Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy for Head-and-Neck Carcinomas

Abstract

Abstract

Background:

Carcinomas of the head and neck (H&N) constitute 3%–5% of all the cancers diagnosed annually in the United States. Radiation therapy (RT) is applied in all but the very earliest stages of these diseases. Xerostomia occurs in 90% of these patients and is severe in 30% of them. This can produce crippling effects on the recipients' quality of life; conventional allopathic medicine does not have a useful solution to address these effects.

Case:

A modification of the MD Anderson Xerostomia Index was used, which is referred to here as the Sheboygan Xerostomia Index (SXI), to assess the results of acupuncture in 2 cases. Two patients with significantly symptomatic xerostomia following combined chemotherapy and RT for squamous-cell carcinoma of the H&N, were treated with acupuncture, using a combination of body and ear acupuncture. The body points were LI 1′, LU 7, ST 36, and CV 24; the auricular points were Shenmen, Salivary Gland 2′, and Point Zero. Responses were seen within 1 week. The first patient was treated weekly with acupuncture on weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. The second patient was treated weekly with the same points only on weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Results:

The patients' SXI scores declined from a maximum possible score of 60, for the respective weeks of treatment as follows: Patient 1's scores were 30, 23, 21, 12, 6, 7; patient 2's scores were 34, 23,11, and 10.

Conclusions:

Acupuncture can be used successfully to treat radiation therapy–induced xerostomia at the community level and is cost-effective. This information should be shared with the oncology community, which, by and large, is not aware of this treatment opportunity.