Background
fatigue, cancer, Acupuncture, psychological distress, insomnia, cognitive toxicity
CANCER, STERILE, OXIDATIVE STRESS
As of January 2019, it was estimated that there were 16.9 million cancer survivors in the United States, and this number was projected to increase by 31.4%, to 22.2 million by 2030 and to 26.1 million by 2040 [Acupuncture is an integrative medicine technique involving the insertion of single-use, sterile fine needles into specific acupuncture points (acupoints) on the body linked to unwanted symptoms [In this study, we aim to compare the efficacy of verum EA (vEA) treatment versus sham EA (sEA) in reducing cognitive toxicity, fatigue, psychological distress, insomnia, and to improve quality of life; to evaluate the impact of vEA versus sEA on biomarkers, including circulating brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-alpha), mitochondrial DNA (oxidative stress indicator); to determine, in a sub-set of participants, the impact of vEA vs. sEA treatments on brain structure and function; and to assess the safety and feasibility of administering vEA to manage symptom clusters in cancer patients and cancer survivors for a future multicentered, pragmatic clinical trial.