The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hksar, China.
Nam Dinh University of Nursing, Han Thuyen, Nam Dinh, Vietnam.
Integr Cancer Ther. 2021 Jan-Dec;20:15347354211008253. doi: 10.1177/15347354211008253.
Qigong is used by cancer patients, but its effect is not adequately evaluated to date. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Qigong for the management of a symptom cluster comprising fatigue, dyspnea, and anxiety in patients with lung cancer.
A total of 156 lung cancer patients participated in this trial, and they were randomized to a Qigong group (6 weeks of intervention) or a waitlist control group receiving usual care. The symptom cluster was assessed at baseline, at the end of treatment (primary outcome), and at 12 weeks, alongside measures of cough and quality of life (QOL).
There was no significant interaction effect between group and time for the symptom cluster overall and for fatigue and anxiety. However, a significant trend towards improvement was observed on fatigue ( = .004), dyspnea ( = .002), and anxiety ( = .049) in the Qigong group from baseline assessment to the end of intervention at the 6th week (within-group changes). Improvements in dyspnea and in the secondary outcomes of cough, global health status, functional well-being and QOL symptom scales were statistically significant between the 2 groups ( = .001, .014, .021, .001, and .002, respectively).
Qigong did not alleviate the symptom cluster experience. Nevertheless, this intervention was effective in reducing dyspnea and cough, and improving QOL. More than 6 weeks were needed, however, for detecting the effect of Qigong on improving dyspnea. Furthermore, men benefited more than women. It may not be beneficial to use Qigong to manage the symptom cluster consisting of fatigue, dyspnea, and anxiety, but it may be effective in managing respiratory symptoms (secondary outcomes needing further verification in future research). Future studies targeting symptom clusters should ensure the appropriateness of the combination of symptoms.
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02977845. Registered November 30, 2016. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02977845?term=Qigong&cond=Lung+Cancer&draw=2&rank=1.
气功被癌症患者使用，但迄今为止其效果尚未得到充分评估。本研究旨在调查气功对肺癌患者疲劳、呼吸困难和焦虑症状群的管理效果。
共有 156 名肺癌患者参与了这项试验，他们被随机分配到气功组（6 周干预）或接受常规护理的候补对照组。在基线、治疗结束时（主要结局）和 12 周时，同时评估症状群以及咳嗽和生活质量（QOL）。
在整体症状群以及疲劳和焦虑方面，组间和时间之间没有显著的交互作用。然而，在气功组中，从基线评估到第 6 周干预结束时，疲劳（ = .004）、呼吸困难（ = .002）和焦虑（ = .049）呈显著改善趋势（组内变化）。在呼吸困难以及咳嗽、总体健康状况、功能健康状况和 QOL 症状量表等次要结局方面，两组之间的差异具有统计学意义（ = .001，.014，.021，.001 和.002，分别）。
气功并没有减轻症状群的体验。然而，这种干预措施在减轻呼吸困难和咳嗽以及提高生活质量方面是有效的。然而，需要超过 6 周的时间才能检测到气功对改善呼吸困难的效果。此外，男性比女性受益更多。使用气功来管理由疲劳、呼吸困难和焦虑组成的症状群可能不是有益的，但它可能对管理呼吸症状（未来研究中需要进一步验证的次要结局）有效。针对症状群的未来研究应确保症状组合的适当性。
ClinicalTrials.gov 标识符：NCT02977845。注册于 2016 年 11 月 30 日。https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02977845?term=Qigong&cond=Lung+Cancer&draw=2&rank=1.
