Acupuncture for Chemotherapy-Induced Neutropenia in Patients with Gynecologic Malignancies: A Pilot Randomized, Sham-Controlled Clinical Trial

Abstract Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of acupuncture administered during myelosuppressive chemotherapy on white blood cell (WBC) count and absolute neutrophil count (ANC) in patients with ovarian cancer. Design: This study is a pilot, randomized, sham-controlled clinical trial. Patients received active acupuncture versus sham acupuncture while undergoing chemotherapy. A standardized acupuncture protocol was employed with manual and electrostimulation. The frequency of treatment was 2–3 times per week for a total of 10 sessions, starting 1 week before the second cycle of chemotherapy. Setting: The setting was two outpatient academic centers for patients with cancer. Subjects: Twenty-one (21) newly diagnosed and recurrent ovarian cancer patients were the subjects. Outcome measures: WBC count, ANC, and plasma granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF ) were assessed weekly. Results: The median leukocyte value in the acupuncture arm at the first day of the third cyc...