Traditional Chinese Medicine Patch for Cancer-Related Fatigue During Radiotherapy

July 2, 2026 updated by: China Medical University Hospital

Efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Patch Application at the Shenque (RN8) Acupoint in Cancer Patients Scheduled to Undergo Radiotherapy: A Study on Cancer-Related Fatigue and Heart Rate Variability

This randomized, double-blind, parallel-group controlled clinical trial aims to evaluate the effects of traditional Chinese medicine patch application at the Shenque (RN8) acupoint on cancer-related fatigue in adult cancer patients scheduled to undergo radiotherapy. Eligible participants will be randomly assigned to receive either a traditional Chinese medicine patch or a sham patch at the same acupoint. The intervention will be applied once daily for 2 hours, 7 days per week, for 2 consecutive weeks, for a total of 14 sessions. Fatigue severity, quality of life, heart rate variability, complete blood count, and skin safety will be assessed before and after the intervention.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

80

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged 20 years or older.
  • Patients diagnosed with cancer by a physician.
  • Patients scheduled to undergo radiotherapy.
  • Patients who meet the diagnostic criteria for cancer-related fatigue and have a fatigue scale score of 4 or higher.
  • Patients who are willing and able to provide written informed consent after receiving an explanation of the study procedures and possible risks.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients who are not suitable for traditional Chinese medicine patch application, including those with wounds or skin lesions at the acupoint application site.
  • Patients who are unwilling to sign the informed consent form.
  • Minors, pregnant women, patients with psychiatric disorders, or vulnerable populations.
  • Patients with diseases that may affect heart rate variability.
  • Patients who have received astragalus polysaccharide injection within 1 month before the start of the study.
  • Patients who have used Chinese herbal medicine within 1 month before the start of the study.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Traditional Chinese Medicine Patch
Participants in this arm will receive traditional Chinese medicine patch application at the Shenque (RN8) acupoint once daily for 2 hours, 7 days per week, for 2 consecutive weeks, for a total of 14 sessions.
Other: Traditional Chinese Medicine Patch
The traditional Chinese medicine patch will be applied at the Shenque (RN8) acupoint once daily for 2 hours, 7 days per week, for 2 consecutive weeks, for a total of 14 sessions. The patch will be prepared by mixing 5 g of traditional Chinese medicine powder with 7 g of water and applying the mixture to gauze or a patch.
Sham Comparator: Sham Patch
Participants in this arm will receive a sham patch at the Shenque (RN8) acupoint using the same frequency and duration as the experimental group. The sham patch will be made with flour and caramel coloring instead of traditional Chinese medicine powder.
Other: Sham Patch
The sham patch will be applied at the Shenque (RN8) acupoint using the same frequency and duration as the experimental intervention. The sham patch will be made with 5 g of flour and caramel coloring instead of traditional Chinese medicine powder.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Change in Fatigue Severity Assessed by Visual Analog Scale From Baseline to End of Intervention
Time Frame: Baseline and approximately 2 weeks
Baseline and approximately 2 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Quality of Life Assessed by Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General From Baseline to End of Intervention
Time Frame: Baseline and approximately 2 weeks
Quality of life will be assessed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General questionnaire. The change in total score from baseline to the end of the 2-week intervention will be evaluated.
Baseline and approximately 2 weeks
Change in Heart Rate Variability From Baseline to End of Intervention
Time Frame: Baseline and approximately 2 weeks
Heart rate variability will be measured using a heart rate sensor or wearable device under resting conditions. Changes in heart rate variability parameters from baseline to the end of the 2-week intervention will be evaluated.
Baseline and approximately 2 weeks
Change in Complete Blood Count Parameters From Baseline to End of Intervention
Time Frame: Baseline and approximately 2 weeks
Complete blood count parameters, including white blood cell count, hemoglobin level, and platelet count, will be measured before and after the intervention.
Baseline and approximately 2 weeks
Incidence of Skin Reactions at the Patch Application Site
Time Frame: During the 2-week intervention
Skin reactions at the patch application site will be assessed using the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group skin toxicity grading scale. The intervention will be discontinued if a skin reaction of Grade 2 or higher occurs.
During the 2-week intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

China Medical University Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

August 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

July 31, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 2, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 2, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 8, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 8, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 2, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CMUH115-REC1-112

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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