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Belly button patch may fight cancer fatigue without drugs

NCT ID NCT07690293

Symptom relief Sponsor: China Medical University Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 08, 2026 · Last updated Jul 24, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This study tests whether a traditional Chinese medicine patch placed on the belly button (Shenque acupoint) can reduce fatigue in cancer patients about to start radiotherapy. Eighty adults with cancer-related fatigue will receive either the real herbal patch or a sham patch daily for two weeks. Researchers will measure changes in fatigue, quality of life, heart rate variability, and blood counts before and after treatment.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Traditional Chinese medicine patch (herbal powder applied at the Shenque acupoint)
What this could lead to
If effective, this simple patch could offer a drug-free way to reduce fatigue and improve quality of life for cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage trial with only 80 participants. The sham patch uses flour and coloring, so blinding may be imperfect, and results may not apply to all cancer types.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 80 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Aug 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Jul 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

20 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Adults aged 20 years or older. * Patients diagnosed with cancer by a physician. * Patients scheduled to undergo radiotherapy. * Patients who meet the diagnostic criteria for cancer-related fatigue and have a fatigue scale score of 4 or higher. * Patients who are willing and able to provide written informed consent after receiving an explanation of the study procedures and possible risks. Exclusion Criteria: * Patients who are not suitable for traditional Chinese medicine patch application, including those with wounds or skin lesions at the acupoint application site. * Patients who are unwilling to sign the informed consent form. * Minors, pregnant women, patients with psychiatric disorders, or vulnerable populations. * Patients with diseases that may affect heart rate variability. * Patients who have received astragalus polysaccharide injection within 1 month before the start of the study. * Patients who have used Chinese herbal medicine within 1 month before the start of the study.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

cancer

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Cancer-related fatigue

How to take part

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  1. The official record

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