Effect of forest bathing on immune function and quality of life in breast cancer patients: a controlled pilot study

Abstract BackgroundRadical mastectomy may lead to suppression of cellular immune function in patients with malignant tumors, and affect the quality of life (QOL) of patients. Immune suppression is a common cause of complications and adverse reactions in adjuvant therapy after radical mastectomy of breast cancer. Currently, there are few proven effective treatments for immune suppression. Therefore, it’s necessary to develop a new treatment method. Press needle is widely used in clinical practice. However, there have been relatively few studies that evaluate the effects of press needle on postoperative immune function. The aim of the present study is to assess the effects of press needle on immune function and QOL in female breast cancer patients undergoing radical mastectomy.MethodsThis study will be a single-center, randomized and single-blinded trial. 78 eligible patients will be randomized in a ratio of 1:1 to the press needle group or the sham press needle group. During the treatment phase, patients will undergo five times weekly of verum press needle or sham press needle for 2 weeks, and then they will be followed-up for 2 weeks. The primary outcome measures will be the peripheral blood levels of CD8+, CD4+, CD3+, and CD4+/CD8+ T cells. The secondary outcome measures will be the changes of patients’ QOL, evaluated by the Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) score and the EORTC core quality of life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30). Safety and adverse events will be assessed at each visit. DiscussionThe results of this on-going study will provide clinical evidence for the effects and safety of press needle on immune function and QOL in patients after breast cancer resection compared with sham press needle.Trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2000040100. Registered on 21 November 2020.

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Additional Therapy with a Mistletoe Product during Adjuvant Chemotherapy of Breast Cancer Patients Improves Quality of Life: An Open Randomized Clinical Pilot Trial

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine ◽

10.1155/2014/430518 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Wilfried Tröger ◽

Zdravko Ždrale ◽

Nevena Tišma ◽

Miodrag Matijašević

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Quality Of Life ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Adjuvant Chemotherapy ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Pilot Trial ◽

Control Group ◽

Breast Cancer Patients ◽

Open Label

Background. Breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy often experience a loss of quality of life. Moreover chemotherapy may induce neutropenia. Patients report a better quality of life when additionally treated with mistletoe products during chemotherapy.Methods. In this prospective randomized open-label pilot study 95 patients were randomized into three groups. All patients were treated with an adjuvant chemotherapy. The primary objective of the study was quality of life, the secondary objective was neutropenia. Here we report the comparison of HxA (n= 34) versus untreated control (n= 31).Results. In the explorative analysis ten of 15 scores of the EORTC QLQ-C30 showed a better quality of life in the HxA group compared to the control group (P<0.001toP=0.038in Dunnett-T3 test). The difference was clinically relevant (difference of at least 5 points, range 5.4–12.2) in eight of the ten scores. Neutropenia occurred in 7/34 HxA patients and in 8/31 control patients (P= 0.628).Conclusions. This pilot study showed an improvement of quality of life by treating breast cancer patients with HxA additionally to CAF. Although the open design may be a limitation, the findings show the feasibility of a confirmatory study using the methods described here.

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