Stress Reduction Through Acupuncture
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Acupuncture, Standard supportive care.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Acupuncture, Breast Cancer, Survivorship. Basic parameters: from 18 years · Female.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Switzerland
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
Study Protocol: Stress Reduction in Breast Cancer Patients During Transition Into Survivorship Using Acupuncture - a Randomized Wait-list-controlled Intervention Study
Overview
This randomized controlled trial evaluates whether eight weeks of weekly acupuncture can reduce psychological distress in breast cancer patients who have recently completed primary therapy compared to standard-of-care wait-list control.
Detailed description
Background Psychological distress is common in cancer patients-affecting roughly one-third with diagnosable mental health disorders and about half with significant psychosocial distress. This distress often spikes during diagnosis and treatment, decreases during therapy, but rises again after treatment ends. The transition from active treatment to aftercare is a particularly vulnerable phase, marked by loss of routine medical contact, fear of recurrence, ongoing side effects, and feelings of isolation. In breast cancer survivors, 20-40% experience clinically relevant distress, with many reporting unmet needs for psychological support. Chronic stress in cancer patients is linked to lower quality of life, worse treatment adherence, higher symptom burden, and poorer prognosis.
Acupuncture, a method from traditional Chinese medicine, has shown potential to reduce stress through modulation of the autonomic nervous system-reducing sympathetic overactivation and enhancing parasympathetic activity. It has been shown to improve symptoms such as pain, fatigue, and hot flushes in cancer patients, and to lower stress in other populations. However, there is almost no research on acupuncture's effect on post-treatment stress in breast cancer patients, especially in the critical early aftercare phase. Whether acupuncture can also improve resilience and treatment adherence in this context remains unknown.
Aim of the Study The study aims to investigate whether acupuncture reduces psychological distress in breast cancer patients who have recently completed primary therapy. Specifically, it tests whether the patients receiving acupuncture will have significantly lower perceived stress after eight weeks compared to a wait-list control group. Secondary objectives include exploring the effects of acupuncture on quality of life, fatigue, cognitive function, anxiety, depression, resilience, and therapy adherence, as well as documenting any adverse events.
Interventions
- Procedure Acupuncture
8 sessions of acupuncture treatment (body and auricular acupuncture) will be given once a week after randomization. - Other Standard supportive care
Supportive care according to local standards will be given which may also include face-to-face psychosocial support or the participation of support groups
Primary outcome measures
- Distress at 8 weeks of intervention [Time frame: Post-intervention (after completion of the 8 week acupuncture therapy or SOC)]
Secondary outcome measures (9)
- Distress over the course time [Time frame: Before and after each acupuncture session during the the 8 week intervention period]
- Quality of life assessment [Time frame: Post-intervention (after completion of the 8 week acupuncture therapy or SOC)]
- Anxiety [Time frame: Post-intervention (after completion of the 8 week acupuncture therapy or SOC)]
- Depression [Time frame: Post-intervention (after completion of the 8 week acupuncture therapy or SOC)]
- Resilience [Time frame: Post-intervention (after completion of the 8 week acupuncture therapy or SOC)]
- Therapy Adherence [Time frame: Post-intervention (after completion of the 8 week acupuncture therapy or SOC)]
- Adverse Events: [Time frame: After each acupuncture session during the the 8 week intervention period]
- Fatigue [Time frame: Post-intervention (after completion of the 8 week acupuncture therapy or SOC)]
- Self-reported cognitive impairment [Time frame: Post-intervention (after completion of the 8 week acupuncture therapy or SOC)]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Patients with localized breast cancer having completed primary therapy (operation +/- chemotherapy +/- radiotherapy) in the last 6 months - Distress Thermometer ≥ 5 - Age ≥ 18 years - Signed informed consent for participation of the trial
- Prior cancer is allowed
- Prior treatment - including chemotherapy - for a prior malignant tumor (including breast cancer) is allowed
- Concomitant participation in an experimental therapeutic drug trial is allowed
- Ongoing or planned Anti-her2/neu, immune checkpoint inhibitor, antihormonal and CDK4/6 inhibitor therapy or other adjuvant treatment scheduled for > 3 months during study period is allowed
- Use of other complementary methods (including mistletoe) is allowed.
Exclusion criteria
- Patients with language or cognitive deficits (including impaired consciousness) that are incompatible with the participation in the study
- Severe physical or psychiatric comorbidity that prevents a patient from participating in the study
- Patients incapable of giving consent
- Pregnancy
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
Switzerland · 3 centers
- University Hospital Basel — Basel
- Gesundheitszentrum Fricktal AG Frauenklinik — Rheinfelden
- Onkologie- & Hämatologiezentrums, Spital STS AG Thun — Thun
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07132034 · 2025-01072;bb21HeinzelmannSch3