1. The combination of traditional and auricular acupuncture to prevent xerostomia and anxiety in irradiated patients with HNSCC: a preventive, parallel, single-blind, 2-arm controlled study
- Author
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Agna Soares da Silva Menezes, Raquel Gusmão Soares, Sérgio Henrique Sousa Santos, Gabriela Luize Guimarães Sanches, Alfredo Maurício Batista de Paula, Adriana Aparecida Almeida de Aguiar Ribeiro, Lucyana Conceição Farias, André Luiz Sena Guimarães, Jairo Evangelista Nascimento, Arlen de Paulo Santiago Filho, Larissa Lopes Fonseca, Cristina Paixão Durães, and Emisael Stênio Batista Gomes
- Subjects
Saliva ,medicine.medical_specialty ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Beck Anxiety Inventory ,Acupuncture, Ear ,Anxiety ,Xerostomia ,Pathology and Forensic Medicine ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Auricular acupuncture ,stomatognathic system ,Internal medicine ,otorhinolaryngologic diseases ,medicine ,Acupuncture ,Humans ,Single-Blind Method ,Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and imaging ,Dentistry (miscellaneous) ,Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck ,business.industry ,030206 dentistry ,medicine.disease ,Head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma ,Radiation therapy ,stomatognathic diseases ,Head and Neck Neoplasms ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Surgery ,Single blind ,Oral Surgery ,medicine.symptom ,business - Abstract
Objective The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of acupuncture on xerostomia in irradiated patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Study Design A preventive, 2-arm, parallel, single-blind trial was performed. Patients with HNSCC (N = 296) were checked for eligibility, and 107 patients were enrolled in the study. The study comprised 1 group that did not receive the intervention (n = 55) and the interventional group that received traditional and auricular acupuncture (n = 52). The primary outcome was the reduction of the patients’ xerostomia after treatment. In addition, the secondary outcome was the reduction of anxiety. Results The current acupuncture protocol reduced the xerostomia score and increased saliva volume and density without changing salivary pH. Additionally, acupuncture decreased the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) score after radiation therapy. Conclusion Combining traditional and auricular acupuncture reduced xerostomia and increased saliva volume without changing the saliva's pH in irradiated patients with HNSCC. Additionally, the combination of traditional and auricular acupuncture reduced BAI scores.
- Published
- 2021
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