Integrative acupuncture management of cancer-related pain and nausea in an elderly patient with concurrent breast cancer and multiple myeloma: Case report

Background Multiple acupuncture modalities represent a promising adjunctive approach for managing a wide range of cancer-related symptoms. This case report presents the safe and effective use of various acupuncture techniques in alleviating chronic pain, nausea, and vomiting in an older adult patient diagnosed with breast cancer and multiple myeloma. Case We report a 63-year-old female breast cancer patient with multiple myeloma experiencing chronic cancer pain, nausea, and vomiting. The patient received multimodal acupuncture in addition to standard systemic treatment. Methods The patient underwent seven sessions of manual acupuncture, battlefield acupuncture, and press needles applied to auricular acupuncture points, followed by five sessions of laser acupuncture and acupressure. Treatment was administered once daily, five days per week, for a total of 12 sessions. Results Progressive reductions in pain intensity were observed throughout the 12 treatment sessions. Nausea and vomiting episodes showed improvement by the third day of treatment, accompanied by gradual recovery in oral intake. Conclusions This case suggests the potential feasibility of integrating multimodal acupuncture into palliative care for patients with advanced malignancies. The observed symptomatic improvements, while encouraging, should be interpreted cautiously given the single uncontrolled clinical context and concurrent pharmacological management. Further research with an adequately designed study is needed to establish acupuncture's safety profile, appropriate patient selection criteria, and therapeutic role.