Acupuncture for the Treatment of Chronic Post-Chemotherapy Fatigue: A Randomized, Phase III Trial

In a previous study, we found that acupuncture may decrease fatigue. The aim of this study is to determine whether acupuncture is helpful in reducing fatigue in cancer patients treated with chemotherapy. We will also study how fatigue, quality of life, mood, level of physical activity. This study will involve about 88 patients.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Cancer
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Acupuncture and questionnaires; Procedure: placebo acupuncture

Detailed Description

Primary objective:

To determine whether acupuncture reduces chronic fatigue after chemotherapy more effectively than placebo

Secondary objectives:

1. To examine the long-term effects of acupuncture treatment on fatigue
2. To examine predictors of response to acupuncture treatment in terms of baseline symptoms, hemoglobin, age, sex, time since chemotherapy and concurrent treatment
3. To examine the effect of acupuncture on levels of physical activity and quality of life.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 101
• Phase: Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • New Jersey
    • Basking Ridge, New Jersey, United States
      • Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
  • New York
    • New York, New York, United States, 10021
      • Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 64 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients age 18 - 64 diagnosed with a malignancy (solid tumor or hematologic malignancy). We are excluding children primarily because fatigue in children is assessed differently from adults (56). Moreover, as children constitute only about 5% of the cancer population and as post-chemotherapy fatigue appears to be relatively rare in children (57), we would expect little if any accrual from the pediatric population. Patients aged 65 and over are excluded for likely non-response, as described under preliminary data.
• Patients must have received chemotherapy
• Patients must complain of fatigue following chemotherapy but not prior to chemotherapy
• At least 60 days must have elapsed between the last chemotherapy infusion and completion of the first baseline questionnaire. Acute chemotherapy related fatigue typically lasts two to three weeks at most (58). Patients with fatigue at 60 days can therefore be considered to be chronic cases.
• Mean baseline fatigue as measured by the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) must be four or above. A score of four on the BFI is considered the threshold between "mild" and "moderate" symptoms (18).

Exclusion Criteria:

• Anemia, defined as Hb<9 or active treatment for anemia. Iron supplementation is allowed as long as the dose has been stable for at least six weeks. Anemia is excluded as a major treatable cause of fatigue.
• Platelets less than 50,000/microliter or an Absolute Neutrophil Count less than 1,000/microliter. Patients with low platelets or neutrophils are at the risk of bleeding or infection, respectively.
• Baseline depression score on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale of 11 or above, indicating clinical depression. Patients excluded for depression will be referred for appropriate psychiatric evaluation. Depression is excluded as a treatable cause of fatigue.
• Thyroid disorder, defined as either thyroid stimulating hormone or free T4 out of normal range, is excluded as it is a possible cause of fatigue unrelated to cancer therapy.
• Surgery under general anesthesia; immunotherapy; radiotherapy; or initiation of hormonal therapy within the three weeks prior to enrollment.
• Acupuncture in the previous six weeks.
• Change in use of any of the following drugs in the prior three weeks: opiates, anti-depressants (other than selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs]) / anxiolytics; OR change in use of SSRIs in the prior six weeks. "Change in use" is defined as initiation or cessation of treatment, or change in prescribed dose or regimen: changes in actual amounts of PRN medication taken are allowed.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: 1; Acupuncture and questionnaires	Procedure: Acupuncture and questionnaires; Acupuncture once weekly for six weeks Brief Fatigue Inventory, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Functional Assessment of Cancer Treatment scale. Patients will repeat the BFI and FACT-G at seven and eight weeks after randomization, approximately one and two weeks after their final treatment. HADS will be repeated at week seven. At the end of the study, patients will be asked to state whether they were thought they on true or placebo acupuncture and why. On the day of the final session of acupuncture treatment (approximately day 35), blood samples will be collected and tested for hemoglobin, thyroid function tests, as described in pretreatment evaluation. The results will be designated "posttreatment" values. Actigraphic monitoring will be conducted in week seven. Patients will be asked to wear the device for seven days just like during baseline evaluation.
Sham Comparator: 2; placebo acupuncture and questionnaires	Procedure: placebo acupuncture; During the placebo phase, placebo acupuncture needles (68) will be applied a few mm away from the points. The placebo acupuncture needle is a blunt tipped needle that moves up inside its handle. However, the needle does not penetrate the skin and instead moves upward inside the handle. Needles will be applied after sterile swabbing of the skin and kept in place for 20 minutes in both group.Patients in the placebo group will be offered true acupuncture after receipt of the week seven and eight fatigue diaries. Patients will complete the BFI, HADS and FACT-G at baseline, approximately two weeks before randomization and their first treatment. The BFI and FACT-G will be repeated after seven days, that is, one week before randomization. The use of repeat measurement decreases intrapatient variability and hence increases the precision of the baseline measure.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
To determine whether acupuncture reduces chronic fatigue after chemotherapy more effectively than placebo	six weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
To examine the long-term effects of acupuncture treatment on fatigue	six months
To examine predictors of response to acupuncture treatment in terms of baseline symptoms, hemoglobin, age, sex, time since chemotherapy and concurrent treatment	six months
To examine the effect of acupuncture on levels of physical activity and quality of life.	six months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Gary Deng, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: July 1, 2004
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 1, 2011
• Study Completion (Actual): February 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 9, 2005
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 12, 2005
• First Posted (Estimate): September 20, 2005

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): February 15, 2011
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 11, 2011
• Last Verified: February 1, 2011

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Cancer; Fatigue
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Fatigue
• Other Study ID Numbers: 04-081