Trial reportJournal of the National Cancer Institute2013
Wisconsin Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) to improve cancer-related fatigue: a randomized, double-blind trial, N07C2.
Trial report in Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03730298 (American Ginseng), which is not on this map. Cited by 120 papers, 15 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
American Ginseng (Panax Quinquefolius) for the Prevention of Moderate-severe Fatigue in Breast Cancer Patients Submitted to Adjuvant Chemotherapy After Surgery. A Study of NICSO (Network Italiano Cure di Supporto in Oncologia).
Who cites it
120 citing papers in PubMed, 15 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 296 citations in OpenAlex.
- Assessing iIndications for herbal medicinal products: a comparative analysis of EMA monographs and database records.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2025Pooled it
- Systematic review and network meta-analysis of the effects of plant active substance on quality of life in breast cancer patients.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- Management of Fatigue in Adult Survivors of Cancer: ASCO-Society for Integrative Oncology Guideline Update.Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2024Guideline
- Bibliometric and visualization analyses of cancer-related fatigue research published worldwide from 2001 to 2023.Frontiers in oncology · 2024Pooled it
- Ginseng and Ginseng Herbal Formulas for Symptomatic Management of Fatigue: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of integrative and complementary medicine · 2023Pooled it
- Placebo response in trials of drug treatments for cancer-related fatigue: a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression.BMJ supportive & palliative care · 2020Pooled it
- The efficacy of placebo for the treatment of cancer-related fatigue: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2020Pooled it
- Integrative Therapies During and After Breast Cancer Treatment: ASCO Endorsement of the SIO Clinical Practice Guideline.Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2018Guideline
- Pharmacologic interventions for fatigue in cancer and transplantation: a meta-analysis.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2018Pooled it
- Clinical practice guidelines on the evidence-based use of integrative therapies during and after breast cancer treatment.CA: a cancer journal for clinicians · 2017Guideline
- Efficacy of Ginseng Supplements on Fatigue and Physical Performance: a Meta-analysis.Journal of Korean medical science · 2016Pooled it
- Cancer-Related Fatigue, Version 2.2015.Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network : JNCCN · 2015Guideline
- Systematic review of the multidimensional fatigue symptom inventory-short form.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2015Pooled it
- Clinical practice guidelines on the use of integrative therapies as supportive care in patients treated for breast cancer.Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Monographs · 2014Guideline
- Survivorship: fatigue, version 1.2014.Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network : JNCCN · 2014Guideline
- Determining the feasibility of self-administered relaxing acupressure for fatigue among adolescent and young adult cancer survivors.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Trial
- The effect of ginseng extract on fatigue in cancer survivors: a randomized double-blind clinical trial.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Trial
- A randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled, phase II study to evaluate the efficacy of ginseng in reducing fatigue in patients treated for head and neck cancer.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2020Trial
- Efficacy and safety of bupropion in cancer-related fatigue, a randomized double blind placebo controlled clinical trial.BMC cancer · 2020Trial
- Online yoga in myeloproliferative neoplasm patients: results of a randomized pilot trial to inform future research.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2019Trial
60 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSafe, effective interventions to improve cancer-related fatigue (CRF) are needed because it remains a prevalent, distressing, and activity-limiting symptom. Based on pilot data, a phase III trial was developed to evaluate the efficacy of American ginseng on CRF.
methodsA multisite, double-blind trial randomized fatigued cancer survivors to 2000mg of American ginseng vs a placebo for 8 weeks. The primary endpoint was the general subscale of the Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory-Short Form (MFSI-SF) at 4 weeks. Changes from baseline at 4 and 8 weeks were evaluated between arms by a two-sided, two-sample t test. Toxicities were evaluated by self-report and the National Cancer Institute's Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) provider grading.
resultsThree hundred sixty-four participants were enrolled from 40 institutions. Changes from baseline in the general subscale of the MFSI-SF were 14.4 (standard deviation [SD] = 27.1) in the ginseng arm vs 8.2 (SD = 24.8) in the placebo arm at 4 weeks (P = .07). A statistically significant difference was seen at 8 weeks with a change score of 20 (SD = 27) for the ginseng group and 10.3 (SD = 26.1) for the placebo group (P = .003). Greater benefit was reported in patients receiving active cancer treatment vs those who had completed treatment. Toxicities per self-report and CTCAE grading did not differ statistically significantly between arms.
conclusionsData support the benefit of American ginseng, 2000mg daily, on CRF over an 8-week period. There were no discernible toxicities associated with the treatment. Studies to increase knowledge to guide the role of ginseng to improve CRF are needed.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.