Topical Ding Xiang Paste As Adjuvant Therapy For Cancer Pain Reduction

Topical Ding Xiang paste as adjuvant therapy for cancer pain reductionOBJECTIVEThe objective of the present study was to evaluate the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Ding Xiang paste as a topical treatment to alleviate or reduce cancer pain.INTRODUCTIONCancer is the most serious disease endangering human health. Cancer pain is one of the most common clinical symptoms, especially in patients with advanced cancer. It directly affects the efficacy of tumor therapy and quality of life of patients. Analgesic drugs have many adverse reactions. Topical TCM treatment of cancer pain has been shown to have potential. TCM side effects are low and therefore can be used long term. The goal of the present study is to improve the quality of life of cancer patients by reducing cancer pain with topical TCM.MATERIALS AND METHODSThirty-five Yin Syndrome patients with cancer pain were accepted into the clinical trial. The data obtained were statistically analyzed by using SPSS19.0.The thirty-five cancer patients were treated topically with Ding Xiang paste at the Dong Fang Hospital in Beijing, China. The paste was applied abdominal, chest, limb,back and loin each day for6days. Pain was measured on a0-10scale based on the patients’response to doctor’s inquiry. Pain was determined in the following areas of the body:abdominal, chest, limb,back and loin. Pain was determined daily.A. The youngest patient was26years old, the oldest92years old. There were19males and16females in the study. There were14types of cancer, with lung cancer patients the most prevalent at31.4%. TCM syndromes included Qi stagnation type which was the most frequent22.7%; Phlegm dampness, and Blood stasis, each accounted for 17.6%. There were18cases of abdominal pain (51.4%B. Before treatment and daily during treatment curative effect analysis was carried out.RESULTSⅠ. Using the degree of pain assessment scale for clinical evaluation (NRS) analysis, there were3CR cases (8.6%),5PR cases (14.3%),21MR cases (60%), and6NR cases (17.1%), The total efficacy of the treatment was82.9%.Ⅱ. For the TCM syndrome differentiation of Blood stasis, clinical evaluation of the total efficacy of treatment was90.5%, the second highest response, Phlegm dampness type efficacy was85.7%, and Qi stagnation type efficacy was88.9%. Yang deficiency type had the worst efficacy,66.7%.Ⅲ. For different body regions, clinical evaluation demonstrated that abdominal pain was most responsive to Ding Xiang paste. Total efficacy for abdominal pain relief was94.4%, followed by chest at90%. Limb pain had the lowest response at33.3%.Ⅳ. The overall efficacy of the treatment determined by the pain assessment scale for clinical evaluation was91.4%. Sleep increased for82.9%of the patients.Ⅴ. Fifteen patients (42.9%) used no other analgesics. A total of20patients (57.1%) had pain medication. A total of14patients (70%) used standard pain medication. Of these patients,12(60%) did not change their dose of standard pain medicine during the6-day TCM treatment. One patient (5%) increased the dose of pain medication, and one (5%) decreased pain medication. Temporary medication was took by6patients (30%).CONCLUSIONA. The NRS pain assessment scale before and after TCM treatment demonstrated improvement in cancer pain symptoms. The improvement persisted over the treatment period.B. The pain assessment scale described above demonstrated that the TCM treatment improved the patients’quality of life.C. Eight types of TCM classification (Qi deficiency, Blood deficiency, Yin deficiency, Yang deficiency, Phlegm dampness, Blood stasis, Qi stagnation, Cold congealing) were improved by the TCM treatment.D. Topical TCM can be used as an adjuvant in combination with standard oral painkillers to enhance their efficacy for cancer pain.E. Topical TCM has no obvious side effects.