Trial reportJournal of cancer research and clinical oncology2020
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.
Trial report in Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 5 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 24 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
- Comprehensive PRISMA Based Systematic Review: Exploring the Phytochemistry, Pharmacological Profile and Clinical aspects ofCurrent topics in medicinal chemistry · 2025Pooled 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
- Interventions for head and neck cancer survivors: Systematic review.Head & neck · 2022Pooled it
- Pharmacological Interventions for the Management of Cancer-Related Fatigue Among Cancer Survivors: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Integrative cancer therapiesPooled it
- Impact of an Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome-Informed Clinical Decision Support Tool on Clinical Discussions With Head and Neck Cancer Survivors: Findings From the HN-STAR Randomized Controlled Trial (WF-1805CD).JCO oncology practice · 2025Trial
- Nrf2 as a therapeutic target of ginseng: A comprehensive review from preclinical evidence to clinical applications.Journal of ginseng research · 2026Review
- Efficacy of Phytotherapy for Cancer-Related Fatigue: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Herbal and pharmacological treatments in cancer-related fatigue.Translational gastroenterology and hepatology · 2026Article
- Renshen Yangrong decoction for secondary malaise and fatigue: network pharmacology and Mendelian randomization study.Frontiers in nutrition · 2024Article
- Efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine for cancer-related fatigue: a systematic literature review of randomized controlled trials.Chinese medicine · 2023Review
- Efficacy and safety of methylphenidate and ginseng in cancer-related fatigue: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Translational cancer research · 2023Article
- Review
- State of Rehabilitation Research in the Head and Neck Cancer Population: Functional Impact vs. Impairment-Focused Outcomes.Current oncology reports · 2022Review
- Pharmacological properties of ginsenosides in inflammation-derived cancers.Molecular and cellular biochemistry · 2021Review
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 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeFatigue is a distressing symptom in head & neck cancer patients before during and at the end of curative therapy. Pharmacologic and not pharmacologic treatments have been proposed with scarce or no evidence of efficacy. The aim of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of American ginseng in respect to placebo in reducing fatigue in patients treated for head and neck cancer with curative intent.
methodsThirty-two patients who had completed oncological treatment for a primary Head & neck tumor for at least 1 year and had a global fatigue score > 4 by means of Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) were randomized to receive 1000 mg of American ginseng or placebo per day for 8 weeks with the aim to assess their efficacy. Changes in fatigue scores in the 2 subgroups of patients before and after the treatment with American ginseng or placebo, were assessed by the BFI at baseline and at the end of week 8.
resultsThe mean of the mean values of the BFI measured at 8 weeks (end of treatment) was 4.6 in the Ginseng arm and 3.4 in the Placebo arm (p = ns). Mean comparison showed a tendency to statistical significance only for the single item on interference with general activity (p = 0.06), with better performance for placebo. The mean of the differences between baseline values and 8 weeks values was not significantly different between treatment arms considering the entire questionnaire.
conclusionThe present data shows that American ginseng has insufficient evidence to be recommended for Cancer Related Fatigue (CRF) in post treatment HNC survivors.
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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.