Can acupuncture with electricity lift mood in cancer patients?
NCT ID NCT07003763
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether electroacupuncture, a type of acupuncture with mild electrical pulses, can safely reduce depression in people with cancer. Researchers will enroll 86 adults with cancer-related depression and give them electroacupuncture sessions targeting specific points on the body. The goal is to see if this treatment improves mood and quality of life over several weeks.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- electroacupuncture
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a drug-free option to help cancer patients manage depression and improve their quality of life.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 86 people, so results may not apply to everyone. It's also testing a complementary therapy, not a replacement for standard depression treatments.
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
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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
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About 86 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 75 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: 1. Presence of depression attributed to cancer itself or cancer-related treatments, meeting the diagnostic criteria for depressive disorder(DSM-V). 2. Age between 18 and 75 years, regardless of sex. 3. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 (HDRS-17) total score \>17 at baseline. 4. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status score of ≤2. 5. No previous exposure to acupuncture treatment. 6. Ability to understand the study procedures and willingness to provide written informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Planned to undergo surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, or other active cancer-related treatments during the study period. 2. History of major depressive episodes prior to cancer diagnosis. 3. Pain Rating Index (PRI) score ≥4 due to cancer-related pain. 4. Estimated life expectancy of 12 months or less. 5. Presence of severe ulcers, abscesses, or active skin infections at or near the acupuncture sites. 6. Clinically significant dysfunction of major organs, including severe cardiac, cerebral, hepatic, renal impairment; decompensated pulmonary disease; or other serious systemic illnesses. 7. Pregnant or breastfeeding women. 8. Participation in another clinical trial within the past 30 days. 9. Patients with a cardiac pacemaker or other implanted electronic medical devices.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine
RECRUITINGShanghai, China
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