Methods
Forty patients with moderate to severe pain caused by liver cancer were randomly divided into a treatment group (TG) and a control group (CG). Patients with moderate pain were given 100 mg qd of a sustainably released tablet of tramadol hydrochloride; patients with severe pain were given 4.2 mg q3d of the fentanyl transdermal system. The ashi points Ganshu (BL 18), Danshu (BL 19) and Qimen (LR 14) were chosen for the acupoint application intervention. CG patients were given a sham patch and TG patients were given a Dingqi analgesic patch. A visual analogue scale (VAS) was used before treatment and after 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 days of treatment. The Karnofsky score was measured before treatment and after 12 days of treatment. Any main adverse reactions (e.g. nausea, constipation, dizziness and headache) were recorded after 6 and 12 days of treatment. Any skin side effects (i.e. skin irritation and allergic reactions) were recorded.