Acupuncture

Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph nodes. While some are "silent" and only require follow-up, in cases of aggressive lymphoma, treatment is necessary, and usually includes biological drugs, chemotherapy or both. These drugs often cause significant damage to quality-of-life and various symptoms that do not always go away. Although the treatments are often limited in time and with recovery rates over 60%, most patients are left with a significantly impaired quality-of-life and difficulty in returning to their previous life. Many studies, most of which were conducted in breast cancer survivors, show the place of complementary medicine in the recovery process, both in terms of symptom relief and in improving quality-of-life. Few studies have examined the place of complementary and integrative medicine in lymphoma survivors. The purpose of the present study is to examine the effect of integrative treatments (a combination of conventional and complementary medicine) on quality-of-life of lymphoma survivors, on specific symptoms caused by the disease and its treatment, on economic and social aspects, as well as on the course of the disease. At the hematological unit of Bnai Zion Medical Center, Haifa, Israel, patients with lymphoma who have received chemotherapy, biological treatment or both, and have been defined as recovering by the treating hematologist, will be offered a choice of different types of complementary medicine (acupuncture, herbal medicine, mind-body, movement and touch therapies), emotional treatment (conversations with social worker, spiritual guidance), or both, in addition to the medical and nursing care offered to all survivors. Patients who prefer not to come to the clinic for these treatments will be assigned to the control group and will fill out questionnaires only. The duration of the treatments will be six months and follow-up for another two years. The type of treatments the patient will receive will be chosen in coordination between the integrative team and the patient and according to the symptoms. An assessment will be made on the effect of these treatments on quality-of-life of lymphoma survivors (based on questionnaires), including physical, psycho-spiritual and economic aspects, as well as on the course of the disease.

This study aims to investigate the potential synergistic effects of acupuncture combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer therapy. Over the past decade, significant progress in cancer immunotherapy has been driven by breakthroughs in understanding immune checkpoint molecules; however, monotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors still faces challenges due to low response rates. As a traditional Chinese medical intervention, acupuncture modulates neuro-immune pathways to achieve remote regulation of organ functions, with particular anti-tumor potential observed at the Zusanli (ST36) acupoint-a site located 2 cm below the knee that can be stimulated via electroacupuncture (EA) to improve gastrointestinal function and alleviate inflammation. Preclinical evidence demonstrates that EA suppresses tumor growth in breast cancer models, reduces levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β and TNF-α, enhances anti-tumor activity of CD8+ T cells and NK cells, and decreases accumulation of immunosuppressive myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Animal studies show that ST36 EA increases key immunomodulatory factors like serum IFN-γ, IL-2, and IL-17, thereby potentiating the efficacy of anti-tumor drugs. Guided by the traditional TCM principle of "reinforcing healthy qi to consolidate the body's resistance," modern clinical applications of EA combined with specific acupoint regimens (e.g., ST36, Sanyinjiao) have effectively alleviated cancer-related pain, chemotherapy-induced side effects, and fatigue. This study will evaluate the safety and immunosensitization effects of ST36 EA combined with PD-1 inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer patients, employing 1 mA electroacupuncture for 3 consecutive days to activate immune responses. By leveraging acupuncture-induced immune remodeling, this approach aims to provide a novel integrative medicine strategy to overcome resistance to immunotherapy.

The goal of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a combined acupuncture and exercise intervention for the management of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in participants with bladder cancer receiving enfortumab vedotin (EV) and pembrolizumab (Pembro). The names of the two study groups in this research study are: * Acupuncture + Virtual Exercise (AVE) * Virtual Exercise Only (VE)