Integrative Medicine for Pain Management in Oncology

Publication Date: September 19, 2022

Key Points

Key Points

  • Effective pain management is of critical importance throughout the cancer care trajectory.
  • Pain management requires an interdisciplinary approach and should include both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, where appropriate.
  • Integrative medicine includes interventions such as acupuncture, massage, meditation, and yoga that are recommended for symptom and pain management.
  • The key guiding principle of integrative medicine is to use these interventions along with conventional pain management approaches (e.g., medications, radiation, injections, physical therapies). It is not intended to replace conventional interventions.

Pain Management

...Pain Man...

...following set of recommendations are fo...


...Aromatase Inhibitor-Re...

...ecommendation 1.1Acupuncture should be of...

...1.2Yoga may be offered to patients exp...


...General...

...1.3Acupuncture may be offered to...

...1.4Reflexology or acupressure may be offered to...

...ommendation 1.5Massage may be offered to pati...

...ndation 1.6Hatha yoga may be offered t...

...on 1.7Guided imagery with progressive musc...


...Chemothera...

...mendation 1.8Acupuncture may be offer...

...ion 1.9Reflexology or acupressure ma...


...Procedural or Surgical Pain...

...tion 1.10Hypnosis may be offered to patients...

...ndation 1.11Acupuncture or acupress...

...1.12Music therapy may be offered to patients exp...


...Pain During Palliativ...

...dation 1.13Massage may be offered to patient...


...lthough many of the recommendation...


...1. Integrative Therapies for Canc...


...s that cancer clinical trials are vital to...