Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30298411›Full record

Trial reportSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2019

Open-label placebo reduces fatigue in cancer survivors: a randomized trial.

Eric S Zhou, Kathryn T Hall, Alexis L Michaud, Jaime E Blackmon, Ann H Partridge, Christopher J Recklitis

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
37citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
4.3field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

37 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 73 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Methodologic challenges of patient reported outcome research: A systematic review of the treatment of cancer related fatigue with open label placebos and the trials.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
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  18. Effects of prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation on open-label placebo responses.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
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  19. Placebo treatments for cancer related fatigue: a reply to Jacobs et al. 2026.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Eric S ZhouDana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1038-8961
Kathryn T HallHarvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA, USA.
Alexis L MichaudDana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
Jaime E BlackmonDana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
Ann H PartridgeDana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
Christopher J RecklitisDana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215, USA. christopher_recklitis@dfci.harvard.edu.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute · USHarvard University · USBrigham and Women's Hospital · USLemuel Shattuck Hospital · US

Funding

Epidemiological, pharmacogenomic and clinical impact of catechol-O-methyltransferase on cardiovascular diseaseK01HL130625 · NHLBI · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI HALL, KATHRYN TAYO · 2016 to 2021
$921k
NHLBI NIH HHS K01 HL130625
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeCancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a common and challenging late effect for many cancer survivors. Clinical trials demonstrate robust placebo effects on CRF in blinded trials. Recently, open-label placebo (OLP) has been shown to improve a variety of symptoms in other populations. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to investigate the effect of OLP on CRF in cancer survivors, and to explore biologic and psychological correlates of placebo efficacy.

methodsForty cancer survivors (92.5% female; mean age 47.3 years) were randomized to OLP or no treatment control. OLP participants were prescribed two placebo tablets twice daily, for 3 weeks. All participants completed assessments at Baseline, Day 8, and Day 22. The primary endpoint was change in CRF (FACIT-F), and secondary outcomes included exercise frequency, mood, and quality of life. We examined whether personality characteristics or a genetic variation important in dopamine catabolism (catechol-O-methyltransferase; COMT) affected the placebo response.

resultsThe OLP group reported significantly improved CRF at both Day 8 (p = 0.005) and Day 22 (p = .02), while the control group did not (ps > .05). CRF improvement differed by COMT genotype, but was not associated with personality characteristics. Marginal improvements were noted in the placebo group for some secondary outcomes (exercise frequency and quality of life), but not in the control group.

conclusionsResults demonstrate that even when administered openly, placebos improve CRF in cancer survivors and dopaminergic systems may be associated with this response. This novel research has meaningful implications for the use of OLP in symptom management for cancer survivors.

Indexed as

AdultAgedCancer SurvivorsFatigueFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPlacebo EffectQuality of LifeResearch DesignTreatment OutcomeYoung AdultCancer-related fatigue, cancer survivorsGeneticsOpen-label placeboQuality of life

Identifiers

PMID30298411
OpenAlexW2896767225

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.