Implementing Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine Into Palliative Care

Medical University of Graz

Status: Withdrawn

Conditions: Advanced Cancer; Breast Cancer; Quality of Life; Symptoms and Signs; Colo-rectal Cancer; Pancreas Cancer; Lung Cancer; Cholangiocarcinoma

Treatments: Other: Treatment modalities of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, Tunia, Chinese dietetics); Other: Standard care

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04584775

Palliach

Details and patient eligibility

About

In this clinical trial we want to investigate the clinical benefit of a complementary therapy using therapeutical modalities of the traditional chinese medicine in patients suffering from advanced cancer.

Full description

After giving informed consent, the participants will be randomized into two groups (1:1). Both groups will receive standard care while one group will additionally be assigned to a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) who will deliver a individual treatment according to the needs of the participant (pragmatic approach).

Outcome measures will be monitored over the course of eight weeks.

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 80 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• One of the following tumor entities

  • Colorectal cancer (CRC)
  • Lung cancer (SCLC, NSCLC)
  • Breast cancer (BC)
  • Pancreas/Cholangiocellular cancer

• Best supportive care (i.e., no currently ongoing tumor-specific therapy)

  o Exception: palliative anti-hormonal therapy or palliative radiotherapy

• Performance status: ECOG 0 to 2

• Estimated life expectancy > 4 months

Exclusion criteria

• Any serious concomitant systemic disorder
• Pregnancy or breast-feeding
• Impossibility to attend TCM practices in Graz
• Incapacity to comply/consent
• Language barrier
• Brain metastases

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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0 participants in 2 patient groups

Traditional Chinese Medicine plus Standard Care

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in this group will receive standard Palliative Care and will additionally see a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine. No strict protocol for the actual intervention exists (pragmatic approach). The participants will at least receive acupuncture and/or chinese herbal medicine. The standard care will include any established medical intervention according to currently available guidelines in palliative care.

Treatment:

Other: Standard care

Other: Treatment modalities of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, Tunia, Chinese dietetics)

Standard Care

Other group

Description:

The standard care will include any established medical intervention according to currently available guidelines in palliative care.

Treatment:

Other: Standard care