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Acupuncture for postchemotherapy fatigue: a phase II study.
Andrew J Vickers1, David J Straus, Bertha Fearon
1Intergrative Medicine Service, and Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021, USA. vickersa@mskcc.org
Summary
Acupuncture significantly reduced persistent fatigue in cancer survivors, showing a 31.1% improvement. This suggests acupuncture warrants further investigation for postchemotherapy fatigue management.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Integrative Medicine
- Symptom Management
Background:
- Persistent fatigue is a common and debilitating side effect following cancer treatment.
- Current management strategies for postchemotherapy fatigue are often insufficient.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in alleviating persistent fatigue after chemotherapy.
- To determine if the observed improvement justifies a larger controlled trial.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 37 patients who completed chemotherapy and experienced ongoing fatigue.
- Patients received acupuncture twice weekly for 4 weeks or once weekly for 6 weeks.
- The Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) was used to measure fatigue levels before and after treatment.
Main Results:
- A mean improvement of 31.1% in fatigue scores was observed post-acupuncture.
- The improvement met the study's criterion for further investigation.
- Older age was linked to a less favorable response and higher dropout rates.
Conclusions:
- Acupuncture demonstrates potential as a valuable treatment for postchemotherapy fatigue.
- Further controlled trials are recommended to confirm these findings and optimize treatment protocols.