An interventional study of True electroacupuncture + True self-administered acupressure and Doctor-prescribed treatment in Capecitabine, Hand-foot Syndrome and Electroacupuncture, sponsored by Affiliated Hospital of Qinghai University. Recruiting at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 85 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-12-12.
Sponsored by Affiliated Hospital of Qinghai University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
This study hypothesizes that electroacupuncture combined with self-administered acupressure plus doctor-prescribed treatment is effective in preventing Hand-Foot Syndrome (HFS) caused by capecitabine. It aims to explore the effectiveness of this combined approach in preventing HFS in patients with malignant tumors undergoing oral capecitabine treatment. Further exploration of prevention and treatment methods may enhance the quality of life for patients during the treatment process.
This study is a parallel-group, blinded (blinding applies to participants, evaluators, investigators, and statisticians) randomized controlled trial designed to explore the preventive effect of electroacupuncture combined with self-administered acupressure plus doctor-prescribed treatment on HFS in patients with malignant tumors receiving oral capecitabine and to improve the quality of life for patients during treatment. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups: a true electroacupuncture combined with true self-administered acupressure group, or a sham electroacupuncture combined with sham self-administered acupressure group. The true electroacupuncture combined with true self-administered acupressure group receives true electroacupuncture combined with true self-administered acupressure plus doctor-prescribed treatment(oral administration of celecoxib, external application of diclofenac, and other skin protectants). The sham electroacupuncture combined with sham self-administered acupressure group receives sham electroacupuncture combined with sham self-administered acupressure plus the same doctor-prescribed treatment. HFS will be assessed following the initiation of capecitabine treatment, with records kept of the capecitabine dosage, the severity of HFS, onset time, and duration of symptoms. In addition, the HFS-14 questionnaire was used to assess the condition of patients at each cycle.
43 studies on the registry are indexed under Hand-Foot Syndrome; 9 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 220 is above the median of 60 across 37 interventional studies indexed under Hand-Foot Syndrome.
Browse Hand-Foot Syndrome studies →Affiliated Hospital of Qinghai University is the lead sponsor of 18 studies on the registry; 5 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Neoadjuvant treatment is given before the main treatment (usually surgery), often to shrink a tumour. Adjuvant treatment is given after it, to lower the chance of the cancer coming back.
Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.
The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.
It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Adjuvant and neoadjuvant
Neoadjuvant treatment is given before the main treatment (usually surgery), often to shrink a tumour. Adjuvant treatment is given after it, to lower the chance of the cancer coming back.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Platelets
Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Hemoglobin (Hb)
The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraception
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Investigational drug or device
A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.
It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
True electroacupuncture: Participants will receive two electroacupuncture treatments within the first week of each treatment cycle. The acupuncturist inserts the needle into the point and manipulates the needle until the feeling of "deqi" is achieved and reported by the participant. The electrical stimulation will be administered at a sustained frequency of 2Hz for 30 minutes. True self-administered acupressure: In weeks 2 and 3 of each treatment cycle, participants performed true self-administered acupressure, pressing each acupoint with their thumb to achieve "deqi" for three minutes. Doctor-prescribed treatment: At the beginning of capecitabine, patients will be treated with doctor-recommended medications, including oral celecoxib, topical diclofenac, and other skin protectants.
Combination Product: True electroacupuncture + True self-administered acupressure · Drug: Doctor-prescribed treatment
Sham electroacupuncture: The sham electroacupuncture comprised a core standardized prescription of minimally invasive, shallow needle insertion using thin and short needles at body locations not recognized as true acupuncture points and are deemed to not belong to traditional Chinese meridians and have no therapeutic value. Participants will receive acupuncture treatment without electrical stimulation same the intervention group. And avoid "deqi" sensation. Sham self-administered acupressure: administered non-acupressure points 1 to 3cm away from the true acupressure points used in the experimental group and away from known meridians. The frequency, course duration, and overall treatment time will be the same as those in the true self-administered shiatsu group. The applied pressure does not cause a feeling of "deqi". Doctor-prescribed treatment: All the drugs used are the same as those in the experimental group.
Drug: Doctor-prescribed treatment · Combination Product: Sham electroacupuncture + Sham self-administered acupressure
True electroacupuncture: Participants will receive two electroacupuncture treatments within the first week of each treatment cycle. The acupuncturist inserts the needle into the point and manipulates the needle until the feeling of "deqi" is achieved and reported by the participant. The electrical stimulation will be administered at a sustained frequency of 2Hz for 30 minutes. True self-administered acupressure: In weeks 2 and 3 of each treatment cycle, participants performed true self-administered acupressure, pressing each acupoint with their thumb to achieve "deqi" for three minutes.
Doctor-prescribed treatment: At the beginning of capecitabine, patients will be treated with doctor-recommended medications, including oral celecoxib, topical diclofenac, and other skin protectants.
Sham electroacupuncture: The sham electroacupuncture comprised a core standardized prescription of minimally invasive, shallow needle insertion using thin and short needles at body locations not recognized as true acupuncture points and are deemed to not belong to traditional Chinese meridians and have no therapeutic value. Participants will receive acupuncture treatment without electrical stimulation same the intervention group. And avoid "deqi" sensation. Sham self-administered acupressure: Administered non-acupressure points 1 to 3cm away from the true acupressure points used in the experimental group and away from known meridians. The frequency, course duration, and overall treatment time will be the same as those in the true self-administered shiatsu group. The applied pressure does not cause a feeling of "deqi".
HFS incidence rate (Compare the difference between the two groups)
The clinician evaluated the patient's HFS grade according to the NCI CTCAEv5.0 grading for HFS. Grade 1: Minimal skin changes or dermatitis (eg, erythema, oedema, or hyperkeratosis) without pain； Grade 2: Skin changes (eg, peeling, blisters, bleeding, oedema, or hyperkeratosis) with pain; limiting instrumental activities of daily living; Garde 3: Severe skin changes (eg, peeling, blisters, bleeding, oedema, or hyperkeratosis) with pain; limiting self-care activities of daily living. The more severe the grade, the more it affects the quality of life of patients.
Time frame: Capecitabine started treatment until 12 weeks after the end of treatment
The incidence of HFS grade 2-3 (Compare the difference between the two groups)
The clinician evaluated the patient's HFS grade according to the NCI CTCAEv5.0 grading for HFS. Grade 2: Skin changes (eg, peeling, blisters, bleeding, oedema, or hyperkeratosis) with pain; limiting instrumental activities of daily living; Garde 3: Severe skin changes (eg, peeling, blisters, bleeding, oedema, or hyperkeratosis) with pain; ; limiting self-care activities of daily living. The more severe the grade, the more it affects the quality of life of patients.
Time frame: Capecitabine started treatment until 12 weeks after the end of treatment
The occurrence time of grade 1-3 HFS (Compare the difference between the two groups)
The clinician evaluated the patient's HFS grade according to the NCI CTCAEv5.0 grading for HFS. Grade 1: Minimal skin changes or dermatitis (eg, erythema, oedema, or hyperkeratosis) without pain； Grade 2: Skin changes (eg, peeling, blisters, bleeding, oedema, or hyperkeratosis) with pain; limiting instrumental activities of daily living; Garde 3: Severe skin changes (eg, peeling, blisters, bleeding, oedema, or hyperkeratosis) with pain; limiting self-care activities of daily living. The more severe the grade, the more it affects the quality of life of patients.
Time frame: Capecitabine started treatment until 12 weeks after the end of treatment
The occurrence time of grade 2-3 HFS (Compare the difference between the two groups)
The clinician evaluated the patient's HFS grade according to the NCI CTCAEv5.0 grading for HFS. Grade 2: Skin changes (eg, peeling, blisters, bleeding, oedema, or hyperkeratosis) with pain; limiting instrumental activities of daily living; Garde 3: Severe skin changes (eg, peeling, blisters, bleeding, oedema, or hyperkeratosis) with pain; limiting self-care activities of daily living. The more severe the grade, the more it affects the quality of life of patients.
Time frame: Capecitabine started treatment until 12 weeks after the end of treatment
The difference in duration (weeks) of grade 1 to 3 HFS between the two groups
The clinician evaluated the patient's HFS grade according to the NCI CTCAEv5.0 grading for HFS. Grade 1: Minimal skin changes or dermatitis (eg, erythema, oedema, or hyperkeratosis) without pain； Grade 2: Skin changes (eg, peeling, blisters, bleeding, oedema, or hyperkeratosis) with pain; limiting instrumental activities of daily living; Garde 3: Severe skin changes (eg, peeling, blisters, bleeding, oedema, or hyperkeratosis) with pain; limiting self-care activities of daily living. The more severe the grade, the more it affects the quality of life of patients.
Time frame: Capecitabine started treatment until 12 weeks after the end of treatment
The difference in duration (weeks) of grade 2 to 3 HFS between the two groups
The clinician evaluated the patient's HFS grade according to the NCI CTCAEv5.0 grading for HFS. Grade 2: Skin changes (eg, peeling, blisters, bleeding, oedema, or hyperkeratosis) with pain; limiting instrumental activities of daily living; Garde 3: Severe skin changes (eg, peeling, blisters, bleeding, oedema, or hyperkeratosis) with pain; limiting self-care activities of daily living. The more severe the grade, the more it affects the quality of life of patients.
Time frame: Capecitabine started treatment until 12 weeks after the end of treatment
The time when pain/sensory abnormalities occur (Compare the difference between the two groups)
The time when pain/sensory abnormalities occur
Time frame: Capecitabine started treatment until 12 weeks after the end of treatment
Correlation between capecitabine dose and HFS grade
The correlation between the dose of capecitabine used by the patient and the grade of HFS was recorded.
Time frame: Capecitabine started treatment until 12 weeks after the end of treatment
The dependence of electroacupuncture and self-acupoint acupressure treatment in experimental group and control group
Rate of adherence to electroacupuncture therapy in experimental and control groups
Time frame: Capecitabine started treatment until 12 weeks after the end of treatment
Changes in patient reported results and adverse events using the HSF-14 (Hand-Foot Syndrome-14) scale from baseline to the end of the study
The HSF-14 (Hand-Foot Syndrome-14) scale is a tool used to evaluate the severity of symptoms and their impact on quality of life in patients with HFS. A total of 14 items are included. Each item was scored on a three-point Likert scale: 0, "no, never"; 1, "yes, from time to time"; 2, "yes, always." Two separate questions were also added, one to measure limb involvement (type of limb affected by HFS, one or both) and one to measure pain. The limb involvement item was scored either 1if only the hands or feet were affected or 3 if both the hands andfeet were affected. The pain item was scored on a three-point scale: 1, not painful; 2, moderately painful; 3, very painful. The total HFS-14 score was calculated by summing the scores of all items and was adjusted to 100 by applying a rule of three. HFS-14 scores were in the range of 2-100, with the higher the score, the greater the quality of life impairment. For details, see PMCID: PMC3228077.
Time frame: From the beginning to the end of capecitabine treatment
Started Oct 2024 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Jul 2027, 33 months after the start.
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Affiliated Hospital of Qinghai University