The Use of Acupuncture to Manage Dry Mouth Post-Radiotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer Patients

At University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UK), patients with xerostomia
after head and neck radiotherapy for whom local measures have not been
successful are referred to the acupuncture clinic. This has been offered for the
last ten years and preliminary data has shown that it can provide symptomatic
relief to patients. This article documents a service evaluation of 45 patients
who attended the acupuncture clinic from August 2020 to August 2021.
Treatment was carried out at three points in each ear as well as a point on the
distal radial aspect of each index finger. Each session lasted for 30 minutes
and sessions were carried out weekly for four weeks. Patients filled out a
modified 10-item Likert scale to measure their response at the initial and fourth
visit. Median improvement in dryness ratings was two points (of a range of
zero to five). A response occurred in 37 patients (82 per cent) and 28 patients
(62 per cent) received an improvement of two points or greater on the Likert
Scale. No adverse reactions to treatment were documented. The authors
therefore conclude that acupuncture shows promise in the management of
xerostomia in patients.