NCT03916549

Acupuncture in Low Anterior Resection Syndrome Treatment

The Role of Traditional Acupuncture in Low Anterior Resection Syndrome Treatment - Pilot Study

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 1
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 10 (actual)
• Sponsor: National Cancer Center Affiliate of Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Acupuncture has it's role in treating patients with fecal incontinence and diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome. There is no trial or case-report assessing it's role in treatment of Low anterior resection syndrome.

Detailed description

Colorectal cancer is common in Western countries. For thirty years rectal cancer treatment is standardized: patients are undergoing low anterior resection with mesorectal excision +/- (chemo)radiotherapy. Unfortunately around 80% of patients undergoing low anterior resection will experience complex bowel dysfunction including fecal incontinence, soiling, urgency, incomplete evacuation, fragmented defecation and impaired rectal sensation known as low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) causing a "toilet dependence" which severely affects quality of life. Still there is no standardized treatment for LARS.

Conditions

• Low Anterior Resection Syndrome

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Acupuncture	The acupuncture procedure is performed by one well trained person, 1 time per week in total of 10 weeks on the same day time. Sterile, disposable, stainless steel acupuncture needles (40x0.25 mm diameter) were inserted to corporal acupoints, with initial gentle stimulation by quick rotation of 1080°, after then leaving needle in located place for twenty minutes. Needling deep - 0.5-1 cm. If the intent was to invigorate - the needle was inserted to the flow of energy; if harmonization needed - the needle was placed perpendicular to the point flow of energy; if sedation was needed, needles were placed against to the flow of energy on channel. The selection of acupoints was based according by traditional Chinese medicine, literature findings.

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-11-01
• Primary completion: 2019-12-01
• Completion: 2019-12-31
• First posted: 2019-04-16
• Last updated: 2022-02-22

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Lithuania