Acupuncture—A Question of Culture
Mené sur 339 patients atteints d'un carcinome du rhinopharynx ou de l'oropharynx (âge : 21-79 ans, âge moyen : 51,3 ans), cet essai de phase III compare l'efficacité de soins standard, d'une pratique d'acupuncture véritable et d'une pratique de fausse acupuncture pour prévenir et réduire les symptômes d'une xérostomie induite par la radiothérapie
By the end of radiotherapy for head and neck cancers, more than 50% of patients experience radiation-induced xerostomia (RIX), a condition manifested by a long-lasting perception of dry mouth. Radiation-induced xerostomia is associated with a series of complications, such as difficulty sleeping and speaking, dysgeusia, and dysphagia, that significantly affect patients’ quality of life. A 2019 review of clinical trials1 compiled several strategies against RIX and reported that sialogogue medications, sparing parotid glands by intensity-modulated radiation therapy, and salivary gland transfer have been shown to be effective but at the cost of adverse events or persistent symptoms after treatment. A 2015 randomized clinical trial2 demonstrated that patients with RIX who received acupuncture-like transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation had marginally better responses and significantly fewer adverse events compared with patients who received oral pilocarpine. This trial suggested that acupuncture may be a promising approach to prevent RIX.
JAMA Network Open , commentaire en libre accès, 2018