Abstract
e24018 Background: Elderly cancer patients would suffer cognitive impairment due to chemotherapy, and a series of neurocognitive symptoms, known as "chemobrain". Chinese acupuncture plus herbal decoction is an emerging therapeutic option for chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment in elderly cancer patients, despite limited supporting evidence. By evaluating this novel Chinese medicine mode in elderly cancer patients at our institution, we aimed to contribute to the existing knowledge in this area while establishing a basis for further research. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of all cases of “chemobrain” related elderly cancer patients treated with Chinese acupuncture plus herbal decoction between 2019 and 2022. We identified 168 elderly cancer patients with clinically confirmed chemobrain; 83 were treated with electroacupuncture (2 sessions per week over 8 weeks) plus herbal decoction(Chines herbal medicine); 85 received either conventional drug therapy, or palliative-intent therapy. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment(MoCA) served as the primary outcome. Digit span test was the secondary outcome for attentional function and working memory. The quality of life and multiple functional assessments were also evaluated. Results: Those with Chinese acupuncture plus herbal decoction had much better performance than the remainder(as control), reverse digit span test at Week2 and Week8, with medium effect size of 0.53 and 0.48, respectively, the difference in MoCA score and prevalence of chemobrain between cohorts was underpowered and not statistically significant. Higher baseline ECOG and comorbidity was noted in the latter cohort. Conclusions: These results suggest that Chinese electroacupuncture plus herbal decoction might have particular benefits in reducing chemotherapy-induced working memory impairment and could markedly reduce various side effects caused by cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
