[Clinical efficacy observation of heat-sensitive moxibustion combined with intrapleural perfusion of cisplatin in treatment of malignant pleural effusion].

If you or a loved one is living with cancer and has been told that fluid is building up around the lungs — a condition called malignant pleural effusion (MPE) — you may be wondering whether complementary therapies like moxibustion could help. A clinical study published in Acupuncture Research explored exactly that question.

Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy that involves burning a herb called mugwort near specific points on the body to generate therapeutic heat. In this study, researchers used a specialized form called heat-sensitive moxibustion, which focuses on points where patients feel a deep, penetrating warmth.

Forty patients with malignant pleural effusion were divided into two groups. One group received standard treatment — a chemotherapy drug called cisplatin injected directly into the chest cavity to reduce fluid. The second group received the same cisplatin treatment plus daily heat-sensitive moxibustion applied to acupuncture points on the back, lower back, chest, and abdomen for 30 to 90 minutes, five days a week for four weeks.

The results were encouraging for the combination group. Patients who received moxibustion alongside chemotherapy had significantly less pleural fluid remaining after treatment. They also scored higher on a quality-of-life scale that measures daily functioning. Symptoms like shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, loss of appetite, and fatigue all improved more in the moxibustion group. Perhaps most importantly, patients receiving moxibustion experienced far fewer chemotherapy side effects: bone marrow suppression dropped from 55% in the chemotherapy-only group to just 15%, and gastrointestinal reactions fell from 65% to 30%.

These findings suggest that heat-sensitive moxibustion may meaningfully support cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, both by enhancing treatment effectiveness and reducing difficult side effects. If you are interested in exploring moxibustion as part of your cancer care, speak with a licensed acupuncturist who specializes in oncology support.

This RCT (n=40) evaluated heat-sensitive moxibustion as an adjunct to intrapleural cisplatin (60 mg/m²) for malignant pleural effusion. The observation group (n=20) received moxibustion at BL13, BL20, BL23 (dorsolumbar) and CV17, CV4, ST28 (thoracoabdominal) for 30–90 minutes daily, five days per week over four weeks. Compared to cisplatin alone, the combination group demonstrated significantly greater reduction in pleural effusion volume (P<0.05), superior KPS score improvement (P<0.05), and greater reduction in total TCM syndrome scores including dyspnea, cough, chest pain, anorexia, and fatigue (P<0.001–0.05). Clinical effective rate was 65.0% vs. 30.0% (P<0.05). Critically, moxibustion reduced bone marrow suppression incidence from 55.0% to 15.0% and gastrointestinal reactions from 65.0% to 30.0% (both P<0.05). Heat-sensitive moxibustion appears to potentiate cisplatin efficacy while attenuating chemotoxicity, supporting its integration into oncology supportive care protocols.