Trial reportSleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung2022
Pilot randomized sham-controlled trial of self-acupressure to manage the symptom cluster of insomnia, depression, and anxiety in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Trial report in Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. It is linked to trial NCT03823456 (Self-acupressure for Cancer-related Symptom Cluster of Insomnia, Depression, and Anxiety in Cancer Patients), which is not on this map. Cited by 16 papers, 4 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.
Self-acupressure for Cancer-related Symptom Cluster of Insomnia, Depression, and Anxiety in Cancer Patients: a Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Effectiveness of Interventions Based on Symptom Clusters for Symptom Burden and Quality of Life Among Cancer Patients: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Research in nursing & health · 2026Pooled it
- Comparative effectiveness of traditional Chinese non-pharmacological therapies for chemotherapy-related symptoms in cancer patients: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Pooled it
- Interventions for managing clinically relevant sleep disturbances or insomnia in cancer patients and survivors: an up-to-date systematic review and meta-analysis of self-reported sleep disturbance.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- The Effectiveness of Acupressure on Sleep Quality in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.Journal of clinical nursing · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of self-acupressure on the fatigue-sleep disturbance-depression symptom cluster in breast cancer survivors: a phase III randomised controlled trial.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Culturally Adapting a Video-Based Self-acupressure Intervention to Manage Symptoms for Black and Latina Breast Cancer Survivors.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2026Article
- Developing Self Care Digital Trainings for Cancer Patients: An Implementation Research Project with Broad Stakeholder Engagement.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2026Article
- Prevalence of Insomnia in Healthcare Profession - PIHEP Study: A Large-Scale National Study in Vietnam.Nature and science of sleep · 2026Article
- Acupressure on Sleep Quality and Daytime Sleepiness of Surgical Nurses: A Randomized, Single-Blind, Sham-Controlled Tria.Florence Nightingale journal of nursing · 2025Article
- Acupuncture and moxibustion in integrative oncology and new progress in China.Integrative medicine research · 2025Review
- Article
- Efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine external therapy on sleep quality in patients with cancer: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing · 2023Review
- Sleep quality among non-hospitalized COVID-19 survivors: a national cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Article
- Practice recommendations for the role of physiotherapy in the management of sleep disorders: the 2022 Brazilian Sleep Association Guidelines.Sleep science (Sao Paulo, Brazil)Review
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeCurrent evidence for using self-acupressure to manage the cancer-related symptom cluster of insomnia, depression, and anxiety, while promising, is unknown. This study evaluated the feasibility of self-acupressure to manage this symptom cluster and to explore its potential effectiveness.
methodsParticipants were assigned randomly to three study groups, namely the true acupressure (TAP), the sham acupressure (SAP), and the enhanced standard care group (ESC). Participants in the TAP and SAP groups received a training session on acupressure and were required to practice self-acupressure at home once per day for 28 days. The duration of participant involvement was 8 weeks. Patients completed a Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for each symptom, the Insomnia Severity Index, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General at baseline (T1), post-intervention (T2, week 4), and post follow-up (T3, week 8).
resultsThe results indicated that the intervention had clinical significance in improving the targeted symptoms and quality of life. In the TAP group, the symptom cluster severity was significantly lower than in the other groups at T2 (p < 0.05). The insomnia severity and anxiety scores in the TAP and SAP groups were significantly lower than those in ESC at T2 and T3 (p < 0.05).
conclusionThe trial was feasible. The promising results of the study suggest that further testing of self-acupressure is warranted to inform its effectiveness on the targeted symptom cluster in patients with cancer. A placebo effect was evident alongside therapeutic effects.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT03823456) on January 30th, 2019.
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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.