Table 1. Baseline Characteristics of Patients.
| Characteristic | No. (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Electroacupuncture (n = 145) | Auricular acupuncture (n = 143) | Usual care (n = 72) | |
| Age, mean (SD), y | 61.9 (13.2) | 62.6 (11.3) | 61.4 (14.3) |
| Sex | |||
| Male | 43 (29.7) | 49 (34.3) | 17 (23.6) |
| Female | 102 (70.3) | 94 (65.7) | 55 (76.4) |
| Race | |||
| Non-White | 42 (29.0) | 34 (23.8) | 12 (16.7) |
| White | 103 (71.0) | 109 (76.2) | 60 (83.3) |
| Ethnicity | |||
| Hispanic | 19 (13.2) | 12 (8.5) | 5 (7.0) |
| Non-Hispanic | 125 (86.8) | 130 (91.5) | 66 (93.0) |
| Cancer | |||
| Type | |||
| Breast | 66 (45.5) | 67 (46.9) | 32 (44.4) |
| Prostate | 16 (11.0) | 18 (12.6) | 7 (9.7) |
| Lymphoma | 22 (15.2) | 19 (13.3) | 10 (13.9) |
| Other | 41 (28.3) | 39 (27.2) | 23 (32.0) |
| Previous treatments | |||
| Surgery | 103 (71.0) | 103 (72.0) | 54 (75.0) |
| Chemotherapy | 57 (39.3) | 56 (39.2) | 31 (43.1) |
| Radiation | 75 (51.7) | 78 (54.5) | 35 (48.6) |
| Biological/immunotherapy | 5 (3.4) | 12 (8.4) | 1 (1.4) |
| Hormonal | 50 (34.5) | 31 (21.7) | 20 (27.8) |
| Years since cancer diagnosis, mean (SD) | 6.1 (6.5) | 6.1 (6.8) | 6.5 (7.0) |
| Duration of pain, mean (SD), ya | 5.7 (6.7) | 4.8 (6.3) | 5.5 (6.4) |
| Location of paina | |||
| Neck | 14 (9.7) | 15 (10.5) | 6 (8.3) |
| Lower back | 53 (36.6) | 44 (30.8) | 20 (27.8) |
| Shoulder/arm/elbow | 15 (10.3) | 24 (16.8) | 6 (8.3) |
| Hip/thigh | 16 (11.0) | 17 (11.9) | 9 (12.5) |
| Knee/leg | 21 (14.5) | 26 (18.2) | 17 (23.6) |
| Other | 26 (17.9) | 17 (11.8) | 14 (19.5) |
| Baseline measures | |||
| BPI pain severity score, mean (SD)b | 5.2 (1.8) | 5.0 (1.7) | 5.6 (1.5) |
| BPI interference score, mean (SD)b | 5.1 (2.4) | 4.7 (2.2) | 5.3 (2.2) |
| Taking any pain medicationsc | 83 (58.5) | 81 (59.6) | 46 (66.7) |
Abbreviation: BPI, Brief Pain Inventory.
a
Duration of pain symptoms and location of pain were reported by the patient and verified by clinicians before enrollment.
b
The BPI pain severity score (range, 0-10) was the mean of the 4 pain items. The BPI interference score (range, 0-10) was the mean of the 7 interference items.
c
Patients who were taking any pain medications at baseline.