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Testing acupuncture before and after lung cancer surgery for sleep and pain

Compares acupuncture with sham acupuncture in adults having keyhole lung cancer surgery.

Key facts

Who runs it
Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
Where
Shanghai, ChinaSee the site
Trial code
Registry title
Effectiveness of Perioperative Percutaneous Acupuncture on Postoperative Sleep Disturbances and Chronic Pain in Patients Undergoing Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Lung Cancer Resection: A Prospective, Randomized, Single-Blind, Superiority Controlled Trial
Status
Recruiting
People taking part
316 people, planned
Started
13 Jun 2025
Expected to end
29 Nov 2027
Type of study
Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets a placebo (a dummy treatment), for comparison.
Treatments tested
  • Percutaneous Acupoint Acupuncture
  • Sham Acupuncture
Record updated
23 June 2026

Who can take part

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 having planned keyhole (video-assisted) surgery to remove lung cancer. It tests whether acupuncture before and after surgery improves sleep and lowers long-term pain.

Age
18 to 75 years
Sex
Women and men can join.
Disease stage
Lung cancer with clinical stage cTis-3N0-1M0, going to elective video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). ASA physical status I-II and BMI between 18.5 and 28 kg/m².
Earlier treatment
No long-term use of anticonvulsants, antidepressants or other psychotropic medicines.

Main reasons for not taking part

  • Sleep apnea or moderate to severe snoring, or poor sleep scores (PSQI 7 or more, or AIS 6 or more)
  • Pacemaker, slow heart rate (50 bpm or less), sinoatrial node disease, or second-/third-degree atrioventricular block
  • Severe heart, liver or kidney problems
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • Fever of 38.5°C (101.3 °F) or more, or signs of infection before surgery

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 18 criteriaShow less

Who can take part

  • Patients aged 18-75 years scheduled for elective video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for lung cancer resection
  • American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification I-II
  • Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18.5 and 28 kg/m²
  • Clinical tumor stage according to the 8th edition of the AJCC/UICC TNM Classification: cTis-3N0-1M0
  • Mentally competent, able to understand and correctly use the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) for pain assessment
  • Willing and able to provide written informed consent prior to study participation

Who cannot take part

  • Long-term use of anticonvulsants, antidepressants, or other psychotropic medications
  • Fever (body temperature ≥38.5°C) or clinical evidence of infection (hematological, radiological, and/or microbiological) prior to surgery
  • Critical preoperative condition or inability to cooperate
  • History of sleep apnea or moderate to severe snoring
  • Implanted cardiac pacemaker, preoperative sinus bradycardia (heart rate ≤50 bpm), sinoatrial node disease, or second-/third-degree atrioventricular block
  • Known hypersensitivity or allergy to the study materials (needles/devices) or related medications
  • Severe cardiac, hepatic, or renal dysfunction
  • Hearing and/or language communication impairment
  • Planned reoperation, or anticipated postoperative recurrence, severe complications, or critical illness requiring exclusion from follow-up
  • Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) ≥7 or Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) score ≥6
  • Participation in another clinical trial within the past 3 months
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding

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 75 years old?

Where in China

  • Shanghai First People's HospitalShanghai, ChinaContact: Na li Huang, PhDTaking people

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

This study evaluates whether acupuncture at specific body points before and after surgery can improve sleep quality and reduce long-term postoperative pain in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic lung cancer resection. Eligible adult patients will be randomly assigned to receive either true acupuncture or sham (placebo) acupuncture in addition to standard care. Chronic pain will be assessed during hospital stay and up to 6 months after surgery.

The 2 groups in the trial

  • Acupuncture GroupTreatment being tested

    Manual acupuncture at HT7, PC6, ST36, KI6 bilaterally before and after surgery; needles retained 30 min with deqi sensation.

    Treatment: Percutaneous Acupoint Acupuncture

  • Sham Acupuncture GroupPlacebo, for comparison

    Non-penetrating placebo needle applied at same acupoints (HT7, PC6, ST36, KI6) with identical procedure and duration; no skin penetration or deqi.

    Treatment: Sham Acupuncture

Questions to ask the study team

  1. How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
  2. Are travel costs paid?
  3. Can I keep my own doctor?
  4. What happens if I want to stop?

Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations

Print a page for my doctor

Data and sources

Registry record
Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Official title
Effectiveness of Perioperative Percutaneous Acupoint Acupuncture on Postoperative Sleep Disturbances in Patients Undergoing Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Lung Cancer Resection: A Prospective, Randomized, Single-Blind, Superiority Controlled Trial
Plain-language title
Testing acupuncture before and after lung cancer surgery for sleep and painGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 12 November 2026.
Fit questions
Built from NCT07662733, who can take part
Record updated
23 June 2026