Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40888191›Full record

Trial reportIntegrative cancer therapies

Efficacy of Melatonin in Alleviating Radiotherapy-Induced Fatigue, Anxiety, and Depression in Breast Cancer Patients: A Randomized, Triple-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Sadaf Sadeghi Yazdankhah, Seyed Alireza Javadinia, James S Welsh, Ahmad Mosalaei

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Integrative cancer therapies. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Radiomitigators: Breakthroughs in Post-Radiation Recovery.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    Review
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  5. Article
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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

4 authors.

Sadaf Sadeghi YazdankhahDepartment of Radiation-Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Seyed Alireza JavadiniaNon-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, IranORCID 0000-0003-2467-837X
James S WelshLoyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, USA.
Ahmad MosalaeiDepartment of Radiation-Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis trial evaluated the efficacy of melatonin versus placebo in alleviating radiotherapy-induced fatigue, anxiety, and depression in breast cancer patients. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This randomized, triple-blind, parallel-group, single-center clinical trial was conducted in the radiation oncology department of Namazi Hospital in Shiraz, Iran. Eligible breast cancer patients scheduled for adjuvant radiotherapy were randomly assigned to receive either 20 mg oral melatonin daily or a placebo. All participants underwent conventional radiotherapy (50 Gy total, delivered as 2 Gy per day). Patients in the melatonin group received the intervention starting on the first day of radiotherapy and continuing until treatment completion. Assessments were performed at baseline and 1 week after the intervention using the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory and Beck's Depression and Anxiety checklists. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22 with a significance level set at

resultsBoth groups (n = 50 each) had comparable baseline characteristics. Baseline MFI fatigue (

conclusionMelatonin administration during radiotherapy significantly alleviated fatigue, anxiety, and depression in breast cancer patients.

Indexed as

AnxietyBreast NeoplasmsDepressionFatigueMelatoninAdultAgedDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansIranMiddle AgedPsychiatric Status Rating ScalesTreatment OutcomeMelatoninadjuvant radiotherapybreast cancerfatiguemelatonin

Identifiers

PMID40888191
PMCPMC12402606

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.