암환자의 상복부 통증 치료에 대한 침의 효과: 무작위배정 대조군 연구 예비임상시험 프로토콜 = Efficacy of Acupuncture in Treating Upper Abdominal Pain in Cancer Patients: Study Protocol for A Randomized Controlled Pilot Clinical Trial

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Objectives: This study was designed to evaluate the feasibility of further acupuncture research as an effective and safe treatment for reducing cancer-related upper abdominal pain in patients treated with Neurolytic celiac plexus block(NCPB). Methods: This study is a randomized controlled pilot clinical trial of 3-week duration. Fourteen patients will be recruited and randomly allocated to 2 groups: an acupuncture plus NCPB group(experimental group) and a NCPB group(control group). All patients will undergo one session of NCPB, but only the experimental group will receive three acupuncture sessions a week for 2 weeks(6 in total). The primary outcome will be measured using the visual analogue scale, and the secondary outcome will be measured using the Painvision system and the consumption of additional analgesics. Assessments will be made at baseline and at 1, 2, and 3 weeks thereafter (that is, the 3-week assessment will be made 1 week after treatment cessation). Conclusions: This clinical trial will inform the design of a full-scale trial. The outcomes will provide information to facilitate the incorporation of acupuncture into existing pain management methods such as NCPB in the treatment of cancer-related upper abdominal pain patients.