Effect of acupoint application as adjuvant therapy on chemotherapy-induced adverse reactions and immune status in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

LIU Wen; LI Wenjing; CHENG Huijuan; CHEN Xiao; YAO Shiqing

doi:10.13431/j.cnki.immunol.j.20250127

Abstract：Objective To investigate the effect of acupoint application as an adjuvant therapy on chemotherapy-induced adverse reactions and immune status in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).A total of 120 patients undergoing chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC that were admitted from January 2023 to October 2024 were selected and randomly divided into the observation group(n=60)and the control group(n=60)at a ratio of 1∶1.The control group received standard chemotherapy regimens,while the observation group was supplemented with acupoint application at Zusanli,Feishu,and Pishu on this basis.A total of 4 courses of treatment were administered.The clinical efficacy,traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome scores before and after treatment,as well as CD4+/CD8+,CD3+,CD4+,complement C3,complement C4,interleukin-1 β(IL-1β),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interferon-γ(IFN-γ),interleukin-2(IL-2),interleukin-6(IL-6),and natural killer cells(NK),interleukin-10(IL-10),the proportions of myeloid-derived suppressor cells(MDSC)and regulatory T cells(Treg),the incidence of chemotherapy-induced toxic and side effects and the quality of life during treatment were compared between the two groups.Results After treatment,the objective response rate and disease control rate of the observation group were higher than those of the control group(P<0.05).After treatment,the TCM syndrome scores of both groups were lower than those before treatment,and the scores of the observation group were lower than those of the control group(P<0.05,P<0.01).After treatment,the levels of CD4+/CD8+,CD3+,CD4+,complement C3,complement C4,IFN-γ,IL-2,and NK cells in the observation group were higher than those in the control group,while IL-1β,TNF-α,IL-6,IL-10,and the proportions of MDSC and Treg were lower than those in the control group(P<0.05,P<0.01).The incidence of hematological toxicity and gastrointestinal reactions in the observation group was lower than that in the control group(P<0.05).After treatment,Karnofsky Performance Status Score and the scores of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Lung Cancer Module in the control group were lower than those before treatment,and the above scores in the observation group were higher than those in the control group after treatment(P<0.05,P<0.01).Conclusion Acupoint application as an adjunctive therapy helps alleviate the chemotherapy-induced adverse reactions,regulate the immune status,and improve the therapeutic efficacy and quality of life in patients with advanced NSCLC.