Design and settings
WEST, RECRUITMENT, RECRUITMENT
This was an assessor-participant-data analyst blinded, randomized, sham-controlled trial. The trial was approved by Institutional Review Board of the University of Hong Kong (HKU)/Hospital Authority Hong Kong (HK) West Cluster (UW 19-045) and Research Ethics Committee of HK Sanatorium & Hospital (REC-2019-14). The trial was registered in Recruitment and treatment occurred between November 2019 and January 2022; follow-up assessments completed in July 2022. Participants were referred by oncologists from HK Queen Mary Hospital and HK Sanatorium & Hospital. Multiple promotions were carried out to facilitate recruitment, including advertising on newspapers and Facebook. Participants gave voluntary, written, informed consent after study procedures were fully explained. Assessments and interventions were conducted at the outpatient clinic of School of Chinese Medicine, HKU.