| ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture based on the concept of adjusting shen in treating patients with ovarian cancer related fatigue who are deficiency in spleen in TCM.Through scales which generate multi-dimensional assessment of fatigue symptoms,quality of life,and depression,we can understand the clinical effects of acupuncture on cancer related fatigue(CRF),and provide new methods to the treatment of CRF in patients with ovarian cancer.Methods60 patients were collected from inpatient and outpatient department of gynecology and oncology in Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and randomly divided into two groups.The patients in control group received chemotherapy and other supportive treatments while the patients in treatment group received chemotherapy and acupuncture.Acupuncture was administered 4 times per chemotherapy cycle and lasted two cycles.The scale of Multi-Dimensional Fatigue Inventory-20 and Brief Fatigue Inventory scale were the main outcome indicators while the scale of EORTC QLQ-C30,Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items and laboratory test results were the secondary outcome indicators.They were evaluated before chemotherapy and after the second course of chemotherapy.Adverse reactions and clinical remedial measures were recorded in time.All these helped to evaluate the clinical efficacy of acupuncture treatment on CRF patients in various aspects.ResultsIn terms of basic information,there were no statistical difference between the two groups in terms of age,course of disease,tumor type,tumor stage,surgical treatment,and planned chemotherapy regimens(P>0.05).Fatigue:On the BFI scores of the two groups,after treatment,the scores of the control group increased and of the acupuncture group decreased.There was a statistically significant difference within both two groups(P<0.05).The scores after treatment,and the difference between before and after treatment were both statistically significant(P<0.05).On the scores of MFI-20,within the control group,the scores of physical fatigue,mental fatigue,reduced motivation and general fatigue were all higher than before(P<0.05),suggesting that chemotherapy could multidimensionally affect fatigue symptoms.Within the treatment group,the scores of mental fatigue and general fatigue were both statistically significant(P<0.05).Acupuncture could relieve the symptoms related to mental fatigue,and in the general fatigue dimension,the increase of fatigue in the acupuncture group was significantly lower than that of the control group(P<0.05),suggesting that acupuncture could relieve fatigue during chemotherapy symptom.Quality of life:In terms of overall quality of life,the quality of life of the control group decreased significantly after chemotherapy,and there were significant differences within the group(P<0.05);there was no significant difference within the treatment group,and the quality of life score increased.There were statistical differences between groups,suggesting acupuncture can improve the overall quality of life of patients.Depression:Some patients in the both groups were accompanied by mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms.After treatment,the depressive symptoms were significantly improved,which was significantly different from the control group(P<0.05).ConclusionAcupuncture based on the concept of adjusting shen could alleviate the aggravation of fatigue in CRF ovarian cancer patients during chemotherapy,improve their overall quality of life,and improve the mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms associated with CRF patients. |
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