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NCT Number: NCT07183813

Acupuncture for Anxiety/Depression in Patients With Breast Cancer

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects and safety of acupuncture on anxiety and/or depression among patients with breast cancer.

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Key information

Conditions

Anxiety Depression Acupuncture Breast Cancer Breast Diseases Breast Neoplasms Neoplasms Neoplasms by Site Skin Diseases Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases

Age range

18 year–70 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Female, aged 18 to 70 years old;
  • Meeting the diagnostic criteria for breast cancer and at TMN I-III;
  • Having completed specialized active treatment for at least one month;
  • With an ECOG score of 0-2;
  • Mild to moderate anxiety and/or depression;
  • Voluntarily joining this study and signing the informed consent form.

Exclusion criteria

  • Starting to take or change the regimen of anti-anxiety and/or -depression disorder medication within one month before enrolment;
  • Received psychological intervention or physical therapy one month before enrolment or planning to use in the next 5 months;
  • With diagnosis of anxiety and/or depression disorder prior to the diagnosis of breast cancer;
  • Patients with suicidal tendencies, bipolar disorder and psychotic symptoms;
  • Patients with severe anxiety and/or depression；
  • Patients received acupuncture treatment within one month before enrolment;
  • Participating in other clinical studies on the treatment of anxiety and/or depression;
  • Combined with severe underlying diseases;
  • Patients with severe skin ulcers;
  • Pregnant or lactating patients;
  • Poor compliance.

Treatment and study plan

electroacupuncture group

Device

The needles will be inserted to 15-40mm in acupoints through adhesive pads. Needles will be lifted, thrusted and twirled gently for 3 times to achieve deqi sensation and manipulated every ten minutes during 30-minute maintenance. The electronic acupuncture apparatus will be connected to the bileteral Taiyang, Anmian and Baihui, with a continuous wave of 2 Hertz (Hz) and an electric current of 1-3 milliampere (mA). Participants receive acupuncture treatment three times a week in the first two weeks and twice a week in the last six weeks.

Sham electroacupuncture

Device

The needle will be inserted to 2-3mm in Bai Hui acupoint. For the remaining acupoints, needles will be inserted into the pad till reaching but without penetrating the skin. Needles will be lifted, thrusted and twirled gently for 3 times to simulate the effects of the needle tip penetrating the skin. The electronic acupuncture apparatus will be connected to the Baihui acupoint, Shang Yin Tang acupoint, and bilateral An Mian acupoints, with a continuous wave of 2 Hertz (Hz) and an electric current of 0.1-0.3 mA. In about 3-5 seconds, the electric current will be turned down. Participants receive acupuncture treatment three times a week in the first two weeks and twice a week in the last six weeks.

Primary outcomes

  1. The change from baseline in the total score of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

    Time frame: week 8

    The total score of HADS ranges from 0 to 42, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety and depression.

Secondary outcomes

  1. The change from baseline in the total score of HADS.

    Time frame: weeks 4, 12, 16 and 20

    The total score of HADS ranges from 0 to 42, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety and depression.

  2. The change from baseline in the score of HADS-A and HADS-D

    Time frame: weeks 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20

    The HADS score ranges from 0 to 42, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety and depression.

  3. Proportion of participants with a total HADS score less than 15, an HADS-A score of less than or equal to 7, and an HADS-D score of less than or equal to 7

    Time frame: weeks 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20

    The HADS score ranges from 0 to 42, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety and depression.

  4. Change from baseline in Hamilton Depression Scale-14

    Time frame: Week 4, 8 and 20

    The Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) was developed by Hamilton in 1959 and is a clinical tool used to assess anxiety symptoms. All items use a 5-point rating scale from 0 to 4, with a total score ranging from 0 to 56. The cut-off value is 14 points. Generally, a score of >14 points indicates anxiety, >29 points indicates severe anxiety, and the higher the score, the more severe the anxiety symptoms.

  5. Change from baseline in Hamilton Depression Scale-17

    Time frame: Week 4, 8 and 20

    The Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) was developed by Hamilton in 1960 and is the most commonly used scale in clinical assessment of depressive states. All items are scored on a 5-point scale ranging from 0 to 4. The total score is 68. A score of 8-17 indicates mild depression, 18-24 indicates moderate depression, and a score of ≥25 indicates severe depression.

  6. The change from baseline in the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy- General and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast Cancer (FACT-B)

    Time frame: weeks 4,8 and 20

    The FACT-B is a specific scale designed to measure the quality of life in breast cancer patients. The total score of the questionnaire range from 0 to 144, with higher scores indicating worse quality of life.

  7. The change from baseline in the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory-short form(FCRI-SF)

    Time frame: weeks 4, 8 and 20

    The FCRI-SF score ranges from 0 to 168, with higher scores indicating a higher level of fear of cancer recurrence among cancer patients.

  8. The change from baseline in the brief fatigue inventory (BFI)

    Time frame: weeks 4, 8 and 20

    The BFI score ranges from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater fatigue.

  9. The change from baseline in the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)

    Time frame: weeks 4, 8 and 20

    The ISI score ranges from 0 to 28, with higher scores indicating Insomnia Severity.

  10. The proportion of responders per the Patient Global Index of Improvement (PGI-I)

    Time frame: weeks 8 and 20

    The PGI-I evaluates the overall treatment effect perceived by patients themselves. The change can be rated in 7 levels, including "very much better", "much better", "a little better", "no change", "a little worse", "much worse" or "very much worse". The score of the scale ranges from 1 to 7.

  11. Collection of cranial MRI images.

    Time frame: baseline and week 8

    Data were acquired at the Department of Radiology using a Magneton Skyra 3.0 T MR scanner.

Other outcomes

  1. Expectance assessment

    Time frame: baseline

    Participants will be asked: How do you expect your anxiety and depression will be in 8 weeks?

  2. Assessment of belief in acupuncture

    Time frame: baseline and week 8

    Participants will be asked the question: Do you think your anxiety and depression may be helped by acupuncture?

  3. Blinding assessment

    Time frame: week 8

    Participants will be asked the question: Do you think you have received traditional electroacupuncture in the past 8 weeks?

  4. Adherence assessment

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of five months

    Adherence will be assessed via counting treatment sessions. Those who complete over 80% treatment sessions will be defined as of good adherence.

  5. Proportion of participants using rescue medicine.

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of five months

    The percentage of patients using other medications or therapies that may affect their anxiety and depression.

  6. Safety assessment

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of five months

    Adverse events and severe adverse events will be recorded in the case report form, whether related to interventions or not.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Shuai Gao

CONTACT

[email protected]

+8613128205732

Yuanjie Sun

CONTACT

[email protected]

+8618810337542

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Guang'anmen Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effects of Acupuncture for Anxiety and/or Depression Among Patients With Breast Cancer

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Sep 19, 2025
Registry last updated
Sep 24, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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