CASE REPORT article
Front. Med.
Sec. Gastroenterology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1517325
This article is part of the Research TopicTherapeutic Targets and Clinical Management of Intermediate-Advanced Gastroenterological MalignanciesView all 11 articles
Long-Term Electroacupuncture for Low Anterior Resection Syndrome in Postoperative Rectal Cancer Patients: Case Reports
Provisionally accepted
- Beijing University of Chinese Medicine Third Affiliated Hospital, Beijing, China
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This study reports two cases of rectal cancer patients who developed low anterior resection Syndrome (LARS) following rectal cancer surgery. Both patients presented with significant bowel dysfunction, including frequent defecation, urgency, fecal incontinence, and incomplete evacuation. Current treatments for LARS are limited by variable responses, high costs, and adherence issues, highlighting the need for practical, safe therapies with minimal side effects. The patients underwent a 6-month electroacupuncture treatment targeting Baliao points. Assessments were conducted using the LARS score, Wexner fecal incontinence score, and the EORTC QLQ-C30 scale. Results indicated a marked reduction in bowel frequency, significant relief of fecal incontinence symptoms, and improvement in overall health status and quality of life. In addition, emotional and cognitive functions were enhanced. These case reports suggest that electroacupuncture may be a valuable adjunctive treatment for managing LARS and improving patient emotional status and quality of life. Further highquality research is necessary to evaluate the long-term efficacy of this treatment fully.
Keywords: rectal cancer, Low anterior resection, Electroacupuncture, case report, Baliao points
Received: 25 Oct 2024; Accepted: 23 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Yang, Huang and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Jinchang Huang, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine Third Affiliated Hospital, Beijing, China
Qiaoli Zhang, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine Third Affiliated Hospital, Beijing, China
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