Tests acupoint electrical stimulation with immunotherapy before surgery for lung cancer

AI summary

From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.

The trial is looking for adults with non-small cell lung cancer who are getting chemotherapy plus immunotherapy before surgery. It tests electroacupuncture at the Zusanli point together with a PD-1 inhibitor.

Age

18 to 80 years

Sex

All sexes

Disease stage

Non-small cell lung cancer confirmed by tissue or cell tests, with at least one measurable tumour or lymph node lesion. ECOG performance status 0-2. Life expectancy over 3 months.

Earlier treatment

Must be on standard chemotherapy plus immunotherapy given before surgery (neoadjuvant).

Main reasons for not taking part

• Pregnant women
• People who had an organ transplant
• People with uncontrolled diabetes, severe heart, brain or mental illness, or bleeding or clotting problems
• People with a cardiac pacemaker
• People with skin infection, wounds, ulcers or scars at the ST36 acupoint, or metal allergy or intolerance to electroacupuncture

The registry criteria, word for word

Check if you might fit

Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.

• Are you between 18 and 80 years old?YesNo

What the trial wants to find out

This study aims to investigate the potential synergistic effects of acupuncture combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer therapy. Over the past decade, significant progress in cancer immunotherapy has been driven by breakthroughs in understanding immune checkpoint molecules; however, monotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors still faces challenges due to low response rates. As a traditional Chinese medical intervention, acupuncture modulates neuro-immune pathways to achieve remote regulation of organ functions, with particular anti-tumor potential observed at the Zusanli (ST36) acupoint-a site located 2 cm below the knee that can be stimulated via electroacupuncture (EA) to improve gastrointestinal function and alleviate inflammation. Preclinical evidence demonstrates that EA suppresses tumor growth in breast cancer models, reduces levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β and TNF-α, enhances anti-tumor activity of CD8+ T cells and NK cells, and decreases accumulation of immunosuppressive myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Animal studies show that ST36 EA increases key immunomodulatory factors like serum IFN-γ, IL-2, and IL-17, thereby potentiating the efficacy of anti-tumor drugs. Guided by the traditional TCM principle of "reinforcing healthy qi to consolidate the body's resistance," modern clinical applications of EA combined with specific acupoint regimens (e.g., ST36, Sanyinjiao) have effectively alleviated cancer-related pain, chemotherapy-induced side effects, and fatigue. This study will evaluate the safety and immunosensitization effects of ST36 EA combined with PD-1 inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer patients, employing 1 mA electroacupuncture for 3 consecutive days to activate immune responses. By leveraging acupuncture-induced immune remodeling, this approach aims to provide a novel integrative medicine strategy to overcome resistance to immunotherapy.

The 2 groups in the trial

• Electroacupuncture groupTreatment being tested

  Treatment: Acupuncture

• Sham electroacupuncture groupTreatment being tested

  Treatment: sham acupuncture