Alleviation of cancerous pain by external compress with Xiaozheng Zhitong Paste (消癥止痛方)

• Published in: Chinese journal of integrative medicine Vol. 16; no. 4; pp. 309 - 314
• Main Authors: Bao, Yan-ju, Hua, Bao-jin, Hou, Wei, Lin, Hong-sheng, Zhang, Xian-bin, Yang, Gui-xiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Chinese Association of Traditional and Western Medicine 01.08.2010
• Subjects: Aged; Analgesics - adverse effects; Analgesics - therapeutic use; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - adverse effects; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - therapeutic use; Emollients - adverse effects; Emollients - therapeutic use; Female; Humans; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Neoplasms - complications; Neoplasms - drug therapy; Original Article; Pain - complications; Pain - drug therapy; Phytotherapy; Quality of Life; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; clinical study; Chinese medicinal external therapy; cancerous pain; Xiaozheng Zhitong Paste
• ISSN: 1672-0415; 1993-0402
• DOI: 10.1007/s11655-010-0501-5

Objective To observe the clinical effectiveness of a topical application of Xiaozheng Zhitong: Paste (消癥止痛方, XZP) in alleviating the cancerous pain of patients with middle/late stage cancer Methods By: adopting a random number table, 124 patients enrolled were randomized into the treatment group (64 patients) and the control group (60 patients). In addition to the basic therapy [including the three-ladder (3L) analgesia] used in both groups, topical application of XZP was given to patients in the treatment group for pain alleviation. The analgesic efficacy was recorded in terms of pain intensity, analgesia initiating time and sustaining time, and the optimal analgesic effect revealing time. Meanwhile, the quality of life (QOL) and adverse reactions that occurred in patients were recorded as well. Results The total effective rate in the treatment group was: 84.38% (54/64), and in the control group it was 88.33% (53/60), showing no significant difference between them ( P >0.05), but the analgesia initiating time and the optimal analgesia effect revealing time in the treatment group were significantly shorter (both P <0.01). Moreover, XZP was better in improving patients’ QOL, showing more significant improvements in the treatment group than those in the control group in aspects of mental condition, walking capacity, working capacity, social acceptability, sleep and joy of living ( P <0.05 or P <0.01). Lower incidence of adverse reactions, such as nausea, vomiting, mouth dryness, dizziness, etc., especially constipation, was noted in the treatment group ( P <0.05 or P <0.01). Conclusion Applying an external compress: of XZP showed a synergistic action with 3L analgesia for shortening the initiating time and the optimal effect revealing time, and could evidently enhance patients’ QOL with fewer adverse reactions.