Randomized Clinical Trial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Jun 26, 2024; 12(18): 3491-3496
Published online Jun 26, 2024. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i18.3491
A comparative study of acupuncture combined with rehabilitation gymnastics on postoperative anal function of lower rectal cancer
Zhan-Lun Liu, Yi-Wei He, Yan-Feng Liu, Ni Wang, Wei Li, Li-Zhong Shen
Zhan-Lun Liu, Yi-Wei He, Yan-Feng Liu, Ni Wang, Wei Li, Li-Zhong Shen, Department of Digestive Surgery, Hebei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang 050000, Hebei Province, China
Author contributions: Liu ZL, He YW, Liu YF, Wang N, Li W, and Shen LZ designed the study; Liu ZL, He YW, Liu YF, Wang N, Li W, and Shen LZ contributed to the analysis of the manuscript; Liu ZL and He YW involved in the data and writing of this article; and all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by The Government Subsidizes Special Funds for Outstanding Health Talents, No. Ji Cai Yu Fu [2020] 397.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the (Hebei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine) Institutional Review Board.
Clinical trial registration statement: Clinical trials registered in research registry.
Informed consent statement: All study participants and their legal guardians provide informed written consent before the study recruitment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Dr. Shen has nothing to disclose.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
CONSORT 2010 statement: The authors have read the CONSORT 2010 statement, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CONSORT 2010 statement.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Li-Zhong Shen, PhD, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Digestive Surgery, Hebei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 389 Zhongshan East Road, Shijiazhuang 050000, Hebei Province, China. slzzz12@126.com
Received: March 9, 2024
Revised: April 23, 2024
Accepted: April 29, 2024
Published online: June 26, 2024
Processing time: 100 Days and 21.8 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

From the anal function, inflammatory response and other indicators, acupuncture combined with rehabilitation gymnastics was applied to patients with cancer undergoing low resection, aiming to improve the prognosis of patients.

AIM

To explore the effects of acupuncture combined with rehabilitation gymnastics on anal function after lower rectal cancer surgery.

METHODS

From January 2020 to December 2022, 128 patients who underwent rectal cancer surgery in the Department of Oncology of Hebei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital were selected and divided into two groups using the random number table method, with 64 patients in each group. Patients in the control group were not treated with acupuncture or rehabilitation gymnastics and served as blank controls. Patients in the study group were treated with acupuncture and rehabilitation gymnastics from the 7th postoperative day. The anal incontinence scores, changes in serum interleukin-4, interleukin-6, and interleukin-10 Levels, and serum motilin, 5-hydroxytryptamine, and vasoactive intestinal peptide levels were compared.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in serum interleukin-4, interleukin-6, and interleukin-10 Levels between the groups before treatment (P > 0.05). After treatment, these levels were better than those of the control group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the anal incontinence scores between the groups before and 7 d after surgery (P > 0.05). Anal incontinence scores in the study group were lower than those in the control group at 14 d, 21 d, and 28 d postoperatively (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in serum motilin, 5-hydroxytryptamine, or vasoactive intestinal peptide levels between the groups before treatment (P > 0.05). After treatment, these levels were higher in the study group than in the control group, and vasoactive intestinal peptide level was lower in the study group than in the control group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Acupuncture combined with rehabilitation gymnastics can promote the recovery of anal function and reduce the inflammatory response in patients with lower rectal cancer after surgery.

Keywords: Low rectal cancer; Anal function; Acupuncture; Rehabilitation gymnastics

Core Tip: Acupuncture combined with rehabilitation gymnastics applied to patients with low rectal cancer surgery can significantly improve anal function, which can also reduce the level of inflammatory factors and improve gastrointestinal function. This study observed the changes of gastrointestinal function in patients with low rectal cancer after surgery, which can be correlated with the anal function of patients, and confirms the effectiveness of acupuncture combined with rehabilitation gymnastics applied to patients with low rectal cancer surgery.