Acupuncture for cancer-related fatigue in lung cancer patients: a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial
Abstract
Background Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a distressing symptom that is the most common unpleasant side effect experienced by lung cancer patients and is challenging for clinical care workers to manage. Methods We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial to evaluate the clinical effect of acupuncture on CRF in lung cancer patients. Twenty-eight patients presenting with CRF were randomly assigned to active acupuncture or placebo acupuncture groups to receive acupoint stimulation (LI-4, Ren-6, St-36, KI-3, and Sp-6) twice per week for 4 weeks, followed by 2 weeks of follow-up. The primary outcome was the change in intensity of CFR based on the Chinese version of the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI-C). As the secondary endpoint, the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung Cancer Subscale (FACT-LCS) was adopted to assess the influence of acupuncture on patients' quality of life (QOL). Adverse events and safety of treatments were monitored throughout the trial. Results Our pilot study demonstrated feasibility among patients with appropriate inclusion criteria and good compliance with acupuncture treatment. A significant reduction in the BFI-C score was observed at 2 weeks in the 14 participants who received active acupuncture compared with those receiving the placebo (P 0.05). Conclusion Fatigue is a common symptom experienced by lung cancer patients. Acupuncture may be a safe and feasible optional method for adjunctive treatment in cancer palliative…
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Results on acupuncture's effectiveness in improving fatigue were inconsistent.
“However, results on its effectiveness in improving fatigue were inconsistent.26,27”
Cites
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Li, H., Jin, X., Ng, M. S. N., Mann, K. F., Wang, N., & Wong, C. L. (2022) · Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.apjon.2022.100102 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
- Authors
- Cheng, C.-S., Chen, L.-Y., Ning, Z.-Y., Zhang, C.-Y., Chen, H., Chen, Z., Zhu, X.-Y., & Xie, J.
- Affiliations
- Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Zhu, Xiao-yan
- Xie, Jing
- Venue
- Supportive Care in Cancer
- Published
- 2017-07-13
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 3807-3814
- ISSN
- 0941-4355 (ISSN-L)
- 1433-7339
- OpenAlex
- W2735562361
- Cited by
- 67
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 5
- FWCI
- 7.71
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Supportive Care in Cancer (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Comprehensive and Integrative Medicine Institute
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (81403248)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Acupuncture Treatment Research Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer survivorship and care
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies
- Keywords
- acupuncture, cancer-related fatigue, lung cancer, sham acupuncture, Brief Fatigue Inventory, quality of life, palliative care, adjunctive therapy, acupoint stimulation, treatment safety
- MeSH terms
- Double-Blind Method, Fatigue, Feasibility Studies, Female, Humans, Lung Neoplasms, Male, Middle Aged, Neoplasm Staging, Pilot Projects, Quality of Life, Acupuncture Points, Acupuncture Therapy, Physical Therapy Modalities
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