Preventing Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy With Acupuncture (PACT Trial)

The primary endpoint is the change in severity of CIPN, defined as the average change from baseline (12-week to baseline) in the EORTC Quality of Life - Chemotherapy Induced Neuropathy 20 (QLQ-CIPN20) sensory subscale score (9 items). Using a 4-point Likert scale (1 = "not at all," 2 = "a little," 3 = "quite a bit," and 4 = "very much"), individuals indicate the degree to which they have experienced sensory, motor, and autonomic symptoms during the past week. A higher score means greater severity of CIPN. The total and three domain scores are calculated and linearly transformed into 0-100 scales according to the scoring manual. A score of 100 indicates the worst CIPN symptom.

AOCIPN is defined as an increase of 2.5 points or larger in the QLQ-CIPN 20 sensory score at any time point relative to baseline or reported "mild" or "a little bit" or higher in PRO-CTCAE CIPN "Severity" and "Interference" items during the study intervention period (baseline to week 12).

G2CIPN is defined a 20-point or greater increase from baseline at any time point in QLQ-CIPN20 total score or grade-2 in PRO-CTCAE CIPN, which is defined as reporting the severity of numbness and/or tingling AND interference of with daily activities ≥ 1 (mild/ a little bit) during the study period at any time point.

Received or relative dose intensity (RDI) refers to the amount and timing of chemotherapy actually delivered versus the expected dose and schedule. The relative dose intensity (RDI) will be calculated for each participant and compared between treatment arms using two-sample t-tests or Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, depending upon normality of the data.

Maximum CIPN score will be assessed through the EORTC Quality of Life - Chemotherapy Induced Neuropathy 20 (QLQ-CIPN20) sensory subscale score (9 items). Using a 4-point Likert scale (1 = "not at all," 2 = "a little," 3 = "quite a bit," and 4 = "very much"), individuals indicate the degree to which they have experienced sensory, motor, and autonomic symptoms during the past week. A higher score means greater severity of CIPN. The maximum CIPN sensory score change (post-pre) for each patient during the intervention will be compared between the randomized treatment arms.

CIPN pain intensity will be measured using a past 7 days, 0-10 numerical rating scale diary. A higher score indicates greater pain intensity.

The PSQI is a 19-item self-reported questionnaire that assesses sleep quality for the preceding month. In scoring the PSQI, seven component scores are derived, each scored 0 (no difficulty) to 3 (severe difficulty). The component scores are summed to produce a global score (range 0 to 21). Higher scores indicate worse sleep quality.

Quality of life and cancer treatment-related symptoms will be assessed using the EORTC-QLQ-C30. The QLQ-C30 consists of 30 items that are grouped within global health status/quality of life (1 - 7 points, higher scores = greater quality of life), functional (e.g., physical or cognitive; 0 - 100 transformed scores, higher = better function), or symptom (e.g., insomnia, fatigue; 0 - 100 transformed scores, higher = worse symptoms) subscales.