TY - JOUR A1 - Rostock, Matthias A1 - Jaroslawski, Karin A1 - Güthlin, Corina A1 - Lüdtke, Rainer A1 - Schröder, Sven A1 - Bartsch, Hans Helge T1 - Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in cancer patients : a four-arm randomized trial on the effectiveness of electroacupuncture T2 - Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM N2 - Purpose. Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common and dose-limiting side effect of cytostatic drugs. Since there are no proven therapeutic procedures against CIPN, we were interested to define the role of electroacupuncture (EA) from which preliminary data showed promising results. Methods. In a randomized trial with a group sequential adaptive design in patients with CIPN, we compared EA (LV3, SP9, GB41, GB34, LI4, LI11, SI3, and HT3; n=14) with hydroelectric baths (HB, n=14), vitamin B1/B6 capsules (300/300 mg daily; VitB, n=15), and placebo capsules (n=17). The statistical power in this trial was primarily calculated for proving EA only, so results of HB and VitB are pilot data. Results. CIPN complaints improved by 0.8 +- 1.2 (EA), 1.7 +- 1.7 (HB), 1.6 +- 2.0 (VitB), and 1.3 +- 1.3 points (placebo) on a 10-point numeric rating scale without significant difference between treatment groups or placebo. In addition no significant differences in sensory nerve conduction studies or quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30) were found. Conclusions. The used EA concept, HB, and VitB were not superior to placebo. Since, contrary to our results, studies with different acupuncture concepts showed a positive effect on CIPN, the effect of acupuncture on CIPN remains unclear. Further randomized, placebo controlled studies seem necessary. This trial is registered with DRKS00004448. Y1 - 2013 UR - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/31659 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-316592 SN - 1741-4288 SN - 1741-427X N1 - Copyright © 2013 M. Rostock et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. VL - 2013 IS - Article ID 349653 PB - Hindawi CY - New York, NY ER -