Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Jerusualem Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
Integr Cancer Ther. 2021 Jan-Dec;20:15347354211058207. doi: 10.1177/15347354211058207.
In a randomized controlled trial, compared with standard care alone in breast cancer, acupuncture as a prophylactic treatment did not show better quality of life or fewer side effects of chemotherapy (NCT01727362 [clinicaltrials.gov]). The aim of the qualitative part of this mixed methods study was to better understand the subjective perspectives of the patients regarding quality of life during chemotherapy and the perceived effects of acupuncture.
In a nested retrospective qualitative study, semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 5 responders and 5 non-responders (defined by the outcome of the primary parameter FACT-B) who were randomly selected from both study arms. The interviews were digitally recorded, pseudonymized, transcribed, and then deductively and inductively analyzed according to Qualitative Content Analysis using MAXQDA software.
A total of 20 patients were included in the qualitative part of the study. In both groups, most women stated that their quality of life was surprisingly better than what they had expected before starting the chemotherapy. All patients of the acupuncture group experienced the acupuncture treatments as relaxing and beneficial, mentioning a friendly setting, and empathic attitude of the therapist. Most of these patients stated that the acupuncture treatment reduced chemotherapy-induced side effects. The patients reported that acupuncture was supportive for coping with the disease in a salutogenic way. For all patients, finding strategies to cope with life-threatening cancer and the side effects of chemotherapy was essential, for example, keeping a positive attitude toward life, selecting social contacts, and staying active as much as possible.
Patients in the acupuncture group reported positive effects on psychological and physical well-being after receiving the study intervention. For all patients, having coping strategies for cancer seemed to be more important than reducing side effects. Therefore, further studies should focus more on coping strategies and reducing acute side effects.
在一项随机对照试验中，与乳腺癌标准护理相比，针灸作为预防性治疗并未显示出更好的生活质量或更少的化疗副作用（NCT01727362[clinicaltrials.gov]）。本混合方法研究的定性部分旨在更好地了解患者在化疗期间对生活质量的主观看法，以及对针灸的感知效果。
在嵌套的回顾性定性研究中，从两个研究组中随机选择 5 名应答者和 5 名无应答者（通过主要参数 FACT-B 的结果定义）进行半结构化电话访谈。访谈进行了数字化记录、匿名化、转录，然后使用 MAXQDA 软件根据定性内容分析进行演绎和归纳分析。
共有 20 名患者纳入研究的定性部分。在两组中，大多数女性表示，她们的生活质量比开始化疗前预期的要好得多。针灸组的所有患者都将针灸治疗体验为放松和有益的，提到了一个友好的环境和治疗师的同理心。大多数患者表示，针灸治疗减轻了化疗引起的副作用。患者报告说，针灸有助于以健康的方式应对疾病。对于所有患者来说，找到应对危及生命的癌症和化疗副作用的策略是至关重要的，例如，保持对生活的积极态度、选择社交接触、尽可能保持活跃。
针灸组的患者报告在接受研究干预后在心理和身体两方面的幸福感有所提高。对于所有患者来说，拥有应对癌症的策略似乎比减少副作用更重要。因此，进一步的研究应更侧重于应对策略和减轻急性副作用。
