CUHK
News Centre

Cancer is one of the most fatal diseases known to mankind. In Hong Kong, the total number of new cancer cases increased from less than 15,000 in 1983 to over 22,500 in 2004. There are now more patients living with cancers, thus addressing the effect of cancer symptoms on patients’ lives is becoming more critical to high quality cancer care.

It is common for patients with metastatic cancer to develop severe pain. A significant proportion of the patients actually requires morphine for managing pain. Opiates for pain control, however, are often associated with multiple side effects including sedation, inability to concentrate, agitation and respiratory depression. Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is also associated with a significant deterioration in the quality of patients’ lives. The acute effects of cancer chemotherapy drugs can be partially controlled by anti-emetic drugs. However, the delayed effects after 24 hours, especially nausea, are much more of a challenge to treat. Patients would therefore resort alternative non-pharmaceutical method such as acupuncture to improve their quality of life.

Acupuncture is the application of needles, heat, pressure, and other treatments to acupoints according to the meridian flow of “Qi” and causes a change in the physical functions of the body. This practice, as part of traditional Chinese medicine, dates back thousands of years. Recent scientific researches have investigated its role in the treatment of cancer patients, including pain control, alleviation of nausea, xerostomia (dry mouth), fatigue, hot flashes and arthralgia. This has evolved into an area of cancer management where traditional Chinese medicine could be integrated with evidence-based medicine and brought advancement in cancer care with limited adverse effect. Acupuncture, when properly administered, has the potential to relieve cancer pain or CINV with less toxicity compared with pharmacological intervention.

Located on the 3/F of Sir YK Pao Centre for Cancer, Prince of Wales Hospital, the CUHK Cancer Patient Acupuncture Centre was established with the support of HSBC Insurance Charity Halloween Parade jointly organized by Hong Kong Cancer Fund and HSBC Insurance in October 2008. Being the first of its kind in Hong Kong, the centre aims to promote high quality clinical research and to provide acupuncture as an adjunctive therapy to alleviate cancer related or therapy-induced symptoms, targeting cancer patients from New Territories East Cluster at the Prince of Wales Hospital.

The opening ceremony of the CUHK Cancer Patient Acupuncture Centre held today (16 March) was officiated by Mr. Anthony T Y Wu, JP, Chairman, Hospital Authority; Mrs. Sally Lo, MBE, Chairman, Hong Kong Cancer Fund; Mr. David Fried, Group General Manager and Regional Head of Insurance, Asia Pacific of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) Limited; Mr. Jason Sadler, Managing Director, Insurance Business Hong Kong, HSBC Insurance (Asia) Limited; Dr. Fung Hong, JP, Cluster Chief Executive (New Territories East), Hospital Authority; Professor T F Fok, JP, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Professor Anthony T C Chan, Director, Sir Yue-Kong Pao Centre for Cancer and Professor Tony S K Mok, Director, Cancer Patient Acupuncture Centre.

Mrs. Sally Lo, Chairman, Hong Kong Cancer Fund said, “The opening of this centre marks another positive step forward in helping to make life better for people touched by cancer. I’m delighted that with the help of our friends – particularly HSBC Insurance, who is the major sponsor of this Centre – we may establish further evidence and make available this form of complementary therapy to cancer patients within the hospital setting, helping to improve quality of life.”

Professor Anthony Chan, Director of Sir YK Pao Centre for Cancer, points out that “the opening of the Centre signifies the enhancement of quality healthcare service to meet the needs of cancer patients at the Prince of Wales Hospital.”

Professor Tony Mok, Director of the Cancer Patient Acupuncture Centre, remarks, “The establishment of the centre will help develop research opportunities on integration of Western and Chinese medicine, and enable the delivery of evidence-based therapy to improve patients’ quality of life.” He further adds that “our collaboration with the College of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, ensures high quality services to patients undertaken by qualified and experienced acupuncturists from Shanghai University.”

Cancer patients wishing to receive acupuncture treatment need to be referred by their treating physicians at the Prince of Wales Hospital. For enquiries, please contact Cancer Patient Acupuncture Centre at 2632-4026.