The study aims to primarily investigate the effects and safety of acupuncture on anxiety and depression among patients with breast cancer.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
20
The needles will be inserted to 15-40mm in acupoints through adhesive pads. Needles will be lifted, thrusted and twirled gently for 3 times to achieve deqi sensation and manipulated every ten minutes during 10-minute maintenance in prone and supine position respectively. The electronic acupuncture apparatus will be connected to the bileteral Taiyang, Anmian and Baihui, with a continuous wave of 2 Hertz (Hz) and an electric current of 1-3 milliampere (mA). Participants receive acupuncture treatment three times a week in the first two weeks and twice a week in the last six weeks.
The needle will be inserted to 2-3mm in Bai Hui acupoint. For the remaining acupoints, needles will be inserted into the pad and reaching the skin. Needles will be lifted, thrusted and twirled gently for 3 times to simulate the effect of the needle tip penetrating the skin. The electronic acupuncture apparatus will be connected to the Baihui acupoint, Shang Yin Tang acupoint, and bilateral Anmian acupoints, with a continuous wave of 2 Hertz (Hz) and an electric current of 0.1-0.3 mA. In about 30 seconds, the electric current will be turned down. Participants receive acupuncture treatment three times a week in the first two weeks and twice a week in the last six weeks.
China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences
Beijing, China
The change from baseline in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)
The HADS score ranges from 0 to 42, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety and depression.
Time frame: week 8
The change from baseline in the HADS
The HADS score ranges from 0 to 42, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety and depression.
Time frame: weeks 4, 12, 16 and 20
The change from baseline in the HADS-A and HADS-D
The HADS score ranges from 0 to 42, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety and depression.
Time frame: weeks 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20
Proportion of participants with a total HADS score less than 15, an HADS-A score of less than or equal to 7, and an HADS-D score of less than or equal to 7
The HADS score ranges from 0 to 42, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety and depression.
Time frame: weeks 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20
The change from baseline in the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7)
The GAD-7 self-assessment scale can be used for the preliminary evaluation of generalized anxiety symptoms. A score of 0 - 4 indicates no anxiety symptoms, a score of 5 - 9 indicates mild anxiety, a score of 10 - 14 indicates moderate anxiety, and a score of 15 or higher indicates severe anxiety.
Time frame: weeks 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20
The change from baseline in the Patient Health Questionnaire - 9 (PHQ-9)
The PHQ-9 scale is commonly used for screening depressive symptoms. This scale consists of nine items, evaluating depressive symptoms by asking how much of the time the individual has been bothered by each of the nine aspects over the past two weeks. The scoring interpretation is as follows: 0 - 4 points indicate no depressive symptoms, 5 - 9 points indicate mild depressive symptoms, 10 - 14 points indicate moderate depressive symptoms, 15 - 19 points indicate relatively severe depressive symptoms, and 20 - 27 points indicate severe depressive symptoms. It is generally considered that a PHQ-9 score of 10 or higher, or sometimes 8 or higher, is clinically significant.
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Time frame: weeks 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20
Change from baseline in Hamilton Depression Scale-14
The Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) was developed by Hamilton in 1959 and is a clinical tool used to assess anxiety symptoms. All items use a 5-point rating scale from 0 to 4, with a total score ranging from 0 to 56. The cut-off value is 14 points. Generally, a score of \>14 points indicates anxiety, \>29 points indicates severe anxiety, and the higher the score, the more severe the anxiety symptoms.
Time frame: Week 4, 8, 12, 16, 20
Change from baseline in Hamilton Depression Scale-17
The Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) was developed by Hamilton in 1960 and is the most commonly used scale in clinical assessment of depressive states. All items are scored on a 5-point scale ranging from 0 to 4. The total score is 68. A score of 8-17 indicates mild depression, 18-24 indicates moderate depression, and a score of ≥25 indicates severe depression.
Time frame: Week 4, 8, 12, 16, 20
The change from baseline in the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy- General and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast Cancer(FACT-B)
The FACT-B is a specific scale designed to measure the quality of life in breast cancer patients, with higher scores indicating worse quality of life.
Time frame: weeks 4,8, 12 and 20
The change from baseline in the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory-short form(FCRI-SF)
The FCRI-SF score ranges from 0 to 168, with higher scores indicating a higher level of fear of cancer recurrence among cancer patients.
Time frame: weeks 4, 8, 12 and 20
The change from baseline in the brief fatigue inventory (BFI)
The BFI score ranges from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater fatigue.
Time frame: weeks 4, 8, 12, and 20
The change from baseline in the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)
The ISI score ranges from 0 to 28, with higher scores indicating Insomnia Severity.
Time frame: weeks 4, 8, 12 and 20
The proportion of responders per the Patient Global Index of Improvement (PGI-I)
The PGI-I evaluates the overall treatment effect perceived by patients themselves. The change can be rated in 7 levels, including "very much better", "much better", "a little better", "no change", "a little worse", "much worse" or "very much worse".
Time frame: weeks 8 and 20