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As a general rule, CAM therapies are usually not considered as a viable treatment option for the management of acute cancer-related pain. Once the acute pain has been brought under control by conventional treatment modalities, CAM therapies may be considered in the management of chronic cancer-related pain. A potential benefit of using CAM therapies in conjunction with conventional treatments for the management of chronic cancer-related pain is that they may reduce the dosage of conventional pain medications that may be required to achieve chronic pain control and, therefore, also potentially reduce the side-effects that may be associated with conventional pain medications.

A variety of CAM therapies, when used in conjunction with conventional treatments, may be beneficial for the management of cancer-related pain, including:

• Meditation
• Guided imagery
• Hypnosis
• Relaxation techniques
• Massage therapy
• Reflexology
• Acupuncture
• Yoga
• Aromatherapy

Some procedures that may be used for the diagnosis and treatment of some types of cancers may also be associated with pain. Examples include:

• Tissue biopsy - a piece of tissue is removed from the tumor and is examined under a microscope to determine if it is malignant or benign.
• Placement of a central line catheter that is used to administer chemotherapeutic agents and/or other medications
• Bone marrow aspiration
• Lumbar puncture (spinal tap)

A variety of CAM therapies, particularly mind-body techniques, have been found to be beneficial for controlling pain associated with cancer-related procedures (both diagnostic and therapeutic), especially in children with cancer, although they appear to be useful in adults as well.

Some cancer patients who undergo surgery to remove a tumor develop persistent neuropathic pain due to injury of nerves during the surgical procedure. In general, severe neuropathic pain may be difficult to control with conventional pain management treatment modalities. There is some evidence that acupuncture, when used in conjunction with conventional pain management strategies, may be effective for the management of persistent neuropathic pain that may develop in some patients after cancer surgery.

Nausea and Vomiting

Nausea and vomiting are relatively common side-effects in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy. When used in conjunction with standard treatments, CAM therapies may offer patients additional relief from chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. A 1998 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Conference concluded that there is clear evidence supporting the efficacy of acupuncture for controlling nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy. Other CAM therapies that may help cancer patients better cope with chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting include:

• Acupressure
• Aromatherapy
• Hypnosis
• Guided imagery
• Music therapy
• Massage therapy

Other Cancer-Related Symptoms

There is a limited amount of evidence which suggests that CAM therapies may be useful for helping patients to better cope with a variety of other common cancer-related symptoms including:

• Fatigue - A study published in 2004 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (Vol. 22, Issue 9; pp. 1731-1735) reported that acupuncture reduced chemotherapy-related fatigue by 31% after 6 weeks of acupuncture treatment.

• Dry Mouth (xerostomia) - Several studies suggest that acupuncture may be useful in the management of dry mouth that occurs in some patients undergoing radiation therapy to the head and neck.