ArticleChinese medicine2025
The association between acupuncture and response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer.
Article in Chinese medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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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.
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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.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Acupuncture combined with immunotherapy for recurrent and metastatic cervical cancer: a pilot RCT protocol.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Trial
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Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundImmune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have transformed non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment, yet low response rates and resistance remain challenges. Emerging evidence suggests acupuncture may enhance ICI effectiveness by reprogramming immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments.
methodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on 217 ICI-treated NSCLC patients. Patients who initiated acupuncture before median progression-free survival (mPFS, 8.87 months) of the overall population were classified as the acupuncture group (n = 97). Cox regression analysis was employed to evaluate the association between clinical characteristics and outcomes. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to mitigate selection bias. Subgroup and interaction analyses were conducted to evaluate potential effect modifiers.
resultsAcupuncture was significantly associated with improved mPFS (10.23 vs. 7.87 months, P = 0.036), while a numerical trend favoring acupuncture was observed in overall survival (mOS: 24.1 vs. 20.9 months, P = 0.352). Obvious benefits emerged in bone metastasis patients, with the acupuncture group reducing progression risk by 76% (HR = 0.24, 95% CI 0.14-0.42, P < 0.001) and death risk by 53% (HR = 0.47, 95% CI 0.21-1.03, P = 0.049). Conversely, PD-L1-positive subgroups exhibited no trend of improvement (subgroup HR > 1.0), with interaction HRs > 2.0 indicating potential impairment of ICI efficacy. The results of post-PSM data suggest that acupuncture was independently associated with improved PFS (aHR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.41-0.94, P = 0.024).
conclusionOur findings suggest a positive association between acupuncture and improved outcomes in ICI-treated NSCLC patients, particularly in those with bone metastasis, underscoring the potential role of acupuncture in the integrative management of cancer. However, biomarker-guided patient stratification is essential for integrating acupuncture into oncology care.
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