Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients

Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation Ameliorates Chemotherapy-Induced Bone Marrow Suppression in Lung Cancer Patients

To investigate the effect of percutaneous electrical stimulation on chemotherapy-induced bone marrow suppression in patients with lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the malignant neoplasm with the highest incidence and mortality in China as well as worldwide. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 80%-85% of all lung cancer cases. Chemotherapy is the preferred treatment method for NSCLC, but many patients cannot tolerate the adverse reactions of chemotherapy. Among the most common and most severe adverse reactions is bone marrow suppression. The more serious the bone marrow suppression, the higher the direct medical cost of chemotherapy. Literatures showed Acupuncture was used to treat patients with chemotherapy-induced bone marrow suppression. In this study, the effect of percutaneous electrical stimulation of acupoints including Dazhui (DU14), Geshu (BL17), Zusanli (ST36), Sanyinjiao (SP6), and Hegu (LI4) will be investigated, compared with the medication group treated by oral administration of prophylactic agents, and the control group received routine nursing care on chemotherapy-induced bone marrow suppression in patients with lung cancer.

Inclusion Criteria:

• diagnosis of Non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)
• age between 20 and 75 years
• chemotherapy naive after diagnosis
• GP regimen as treatment
• an expected survival of more than 12 weeks based on a score equal to or greater than 60 points on Karnofsky performance status (KPS) scale
• the ability to understand and speak Mandarin

Exclusion Criteria:

• diagnosis of a hematological system tumor
• mental illness
• bone marrow suppression prior to chemotherapy
• pregnancy