Effects of 3.95 μm infrared moxibustion on cancer-related fatigue: a randomized, controlled trial

Cancer-related fatigue(CRF) is a prevalent and distressing symptom among cancer patients. This study aimed to assess the initial effectiveness and safety of 3.95 μm infrared moxibustion for CRF. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 65 CRF-diagnosed cancer patients, where the treatment group received 3.95 μm infrared moxibustion on on the ST36 (bilateral), CV4, and CV6 acupoints, each patient underwent 30-minute sessions, with 8 sessions per course and a total of 24 sessions, while the control group received standard care. The study evaluated fatigue and sleep quality using the Piper Fatigue Score (PFS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) after the 2nd and 3rd sessions. After the 2nd session, individual fatigue was significantly lower in the infrared moxibustion treatment group than in the control group (6.39 vs. 5.26, P = 0.000). After the 3rd session, individuals treated with infrared moxibustion had significantly better fatigue and sleep quality than the control group (6.60 vs. 4.63, P = 0.000), (9.45 vs. 7.84, P = 0.041). The safety profile of infrared moxibustion was favorable, with only four cases of skin adverse reactions reported. This study suggests that infrared moxibustion is a safe and effective treatment for CRF in Chinese cancer patients. However, further research involving larger and more diverse populations is necessary to validate these findings.