In a new study, researchers found that after receiving acupuncture treatment three days a week during the course of radiation treatment, head and neck cancer patients experienced less dry mouth.
The research was conducted by a team at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The study is one of the first to evaluate the use of acupuncture during radiation therapy to reduce the incidence and severity of radiation-induced xerostomia, or dry mouth.
Dry mouth is a serious concern for head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. The condition can affect up to 80% of patients by the end of radiation treatment.
The symptoms severely impact the quality of life and oral health, and current treatments have limited benefits.
The team examined 339 head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment.
They found that one year after the end of radiation therapy, the incidence of dry mouth was much lower in patients who received acupuncture treatment.
In addition, acupuncture treatment has very few side effects and is relatively low cost compared to standard treatments such as medication and saliva substitutes.
These results support a 2011 study that found symptoms improved up to six months after radiation treatment with concurrent acupuncture sessions.
Additional studies are needed to confirm the trial results and better understand the neurological mechanisms of acupuncture.
One author of the study is Lorenzo Cohen, Ph.D., professor of Palliative, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine and director of the Integrative Medicine Program.
The study is published in JAMA Network Open.
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