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Acupuncture for Chemotherapy-Induced Neutropenia: DCRC Project #1 This study is one component of the NESA Acupuncture Research Collaborative. A central aim of the project is to evaluate the use of acupuncture as an adjunct therapy for the amelioration of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia in women with ovarian and other gynecological cancers. Ovarian cancer is diagnosed in approximately 27,500 women per year in the United States and is the most lethal gynecologic cancer. Most patients with ovarian cancer, regardless of their stage, will receive platinum- and taxane-based chemotherapy, which results in decreased total white blood cell and neutrophil counts during chemotherapy. Low neutrophil (neutropenia) counts during the nadir or lowest counts can lead to life-threatening infectious complications. Although there are exogenously administered growth factors, such as granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), that can improve white blood cell counts (WBC) during chemotherapy, they are expensive and can have side effects. The development of non-toxic means of increasing the nadir white cell counts would be a significant advance for cancer therapy. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has employed acupuncture in an attempt to reduce chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. A review of the Chinese medical literature suggests that acupuncture stimulates production of indogenous G-CSF. In this randomized controlled trial, we evaluate the use of acupuncture by traditional Chinese clinicians and its effect on the neutrophil and WBC counts during chemotherapy for newly and chronically diagnosed patients with gynecological cancers. Fifty patients will be receiving the similar chemotherapy protocols using carboplatin and paclitaxel, and patients are being randomized to receive either active or sham acupuncture which will continue during the first cycle of chemotherapy or acupuncture which begins at the 1st nadir day (the 15 th day after chemotherapy treatment begins). Endpoint measurements take place at baseline day 15 and at day 43 (the end of week 6 when acupuncture ends). G-CSF measurements are also taken at day 22 and 36. CBC measurements will be taken on days 15, 22, 29, 36, and 43.We are also characterizing acupuncture's effect on the quality of life (QOL) of patients using validated instruments. Current Status: Patient recruitment, enrollment, and treatment are underway. Publications/Lectures:
Principal Investigators - Weidong Lu , MB , MPH, LicAc (NESA); Ursula Matulonis, MD (Dana Farber Cancer Institute) NESA Participants: Co-Investigators: Richard Penson, MD (2); David Rosenthal, MD (1) Other Investigators: Elizabeth Dean-Clower, MD (1); Anne Doherty, MPH (1); James Griffin, MD (1); Alice Kornblith, PhD (1); Hang Lee, PhD (1) Collaborating Institutions: Research Faculty and Staff
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New England School of Acupuncture
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