Publications by authors named "Susan Q Li"
Article Synopsis
- Reishi is a medicinal mushroom that cancer patients use for symptom relief, but there's limited data on its effects, prompting this study to explore its benefits and harms.
- A survey of 1,374 Chinese cancer patients revealed that over half experienced significant symptom improvement, particularly in nausea, fatigue, appetite, and depression, with certain factors enhancing the likelihood of positive responses.
- Despite the benefits, 9.1% of participants reported adverse effects, including dry mouth and insomnia, highlighting the need for careful clinical guidance on Reishi use among cancer patients.
Purpose: Cancer survivors are increasingly using wearable fitness trackers, but it is unclear if they match traditional self-reported sleep diaries. We aimed to compare sleep data from Fitbit and the Consensus Sleep Diary (CSD) in this group.
Methods: We analyzed data from two randomized clinical trials, using both CSD and Fitbit to collect sleep outcomes: total sleep time (TST), wake time after sleep onset (WASO), number of awakenings (NWAK), time in bed (TIB), and sleep efficiency (SE).
Article Synopsis
- Hispanic cancer patients and survivors face higher pain levels and more barriers to pain management than non-Hispanic individuals, emphasizing the need for better support.
- A study analyzed treatment expectations for integrative therapies like acupuncture and massage, finding that Hispanic participants had significantly higher expectations of benefit from these treatments compared to their non-Hispanic counterparts.
- The research suggests that pain management strategies should consider these ethnic differences in expectations to improve treatment outcomes and address disparities in pain management among different populations.
Article Synopsis
- Cancer survivors frequently use wearable fitness trackers like Fitbit, but their accuracy compared to traditional sleep diaries (CSD) is uncertain.
- A study analyzed sleep data from 62 cancer survivors, revealing that Fitbit reported longer total sleep time and wake time after sleep onset, but fewer hours in bed compared to CSD.
- The findings indicate that while TST was the only sleep measurement consistently matching both methods, Fitbit may not effectively distinguish different levels of insomnia severity compared to the CSD.
Background: High-dose chemotherapy followed by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is associated with a high symptom burden including sleep disturbance. Here we present the results of a secondary analysis of a randomized, sham-controlled trial assessing the effect of acupuncture on sleep quality during HSCT.
Methods: Adult multiple myeloma patients undergoing inpatient and outpatient autologous HSCT were randomized and blinded to receive either true or sham acupuncture (by licensed acupuncturists) once daily for 5 days starting the day after chemotherapy.
Purpose: Sexual health problems and anxiety are disruptive symptoms in breast cancer survivors; however, little is known about these symptoms in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors on aromatase inhibitors therapies. This study aimed to determine the relationship between anxiety and vaginal-related sexual health problems in this population.
Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data from a cohort study of postmenopausal women breast cancer survivors receiving aromatase inhibitors.
Background: Chronic pain negatively affects sleep; it is unclear whether pain relief from acupuncture contributes to sleep quality improvements in cancer survivors. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of acupuncture versus usual care on sleep quality among cancer survivors with comorbid sleep disturbance and chronic musculoskeletal pain.
Methods: Sleep outcome data from the Personalized Electroacupuncture Versus Auricular Acupuncture Comparative Effectiveness (PEACE) randomized clinical trial were analyzed.
Background: Fatigue is a troublesome symptom in cancer survivors that often results from disrupted sleep. We sought to assess whether two insomnia-focused non-pharmacological interventions are also effective for improving fatigue.
Methods: We analyzed data from a randomized clinical trial comparing cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) versus acupuncture for insomnia among cancer survivors.
Background: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) pain significantly worsens cancer survivors' quality of life. Expectancy may play an important role in acupuncture response. We sought to explore whether expectancy predicts pain outcome in real acupuncture (RA) and sham acupuncture (SA) in cancer survivors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Insomnia negatively affects quality of life in cancer survivors. Expectations of insomnia treatment efficacy may influence response to intervention. We sought to determine whether pre-treatment outcome expectancy predicts response to two non-pharmacological interventions for insomnia among cancer survivors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic pain is common and debilitating in cancer survivors. Tibetan herbal pain-relieving plaster is used as an external analgesic to treat musculoskeletal pain in China; however, its safety and efficacy have not been evaluated via clinical trials in cancer survivors. We designed this Phase II randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPain and insomnia often co-occur and impair the quality of life in cancer survivors. This study evaluated the effect of acupuncture versus cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) on pain severity among cancer survivors with comorbid pain and insomnia. Using data from the CHOICE trial that compared acupuncture versus CBT-I for insomnia among cancer survivors, we analyzed the effect of interventions on pain outcomes in 70 patients with moderate to severe baseline pain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEthnopharmacological Relevance: Tibetan traditional medicine CheeZheng Pain-Relieving Plaster (CZPRP) is frequently used as an over-the-counter external analgesic for musculoskeletal pain; however, its evidence for low back pain (LBP) has not been evaluated.
Aim Of The Study: This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of CZPRP for both acute, subacute and chronic LBP through a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials.
Materials And Methods: PubMed, CENTRAL, CNKI, CQVIP, and Wanfang databases were searched through April 20, 2020 for randomized controlled trials of CZPRP for LBP.
Purpose: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common, debilitating side effect in cancer survivors. This study aimed to assess the characteristics of quantitative sensory testing (QST) and its correlation with patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in cancer patients with and without CIPN.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using baseline data from two clinical trials in solid tumor cancer survivors with no CIPN symptoms rated < 2 on a 0-10 Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) or moderate-to-severe CIPN rated ≥ 4 on the NRS.
Background: People with lung cancer are interested in using herbs for symptom management. However, well-designed clinical trials are lacking. We aimed to quantify symptom burden and willingness to participate in herbal clinical trials among this population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Musculoskeletal pain is a common and debilitating condition for cancer patients. Existing therapies for these pain conditions have substantial limitations. To identify an integrative approach to pain management, we conducted a systematic review to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a Tibetan herbal-based topical agent, CheeZheng Pain Relieving Plaster (PRP), for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) pain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Cancer patients often experience decreased quality of life during chemotherapy. This study aimed to determine the preliminary efficacy and safety of Reishi & Privet Formula (RPF) for maintaining quality of life among patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing chemotherapy.
Methods: We conducted a phase II randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in China.
Acupuncture for Bortezomib-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: Not Just for Pain.
Integr Cancer Ther
December 2018
Article Synopsis
- Bortezomib-induced peripheral neuropathy (BIPN) is a common side effect in cancer patients, and a pilot study found that acupuncture is safe and can help reduce overall neuropathic symptoms.
- In a study involving multiple myeloma patients with significant BIPN, acupuncture led to statistically significant reductions in symptoms, particularly numbness and tingling in hands and feet, discomfort, and motor dysfunction, based on self-reported assessments.
- Results suggest that acupuncture is effective in alleviating various BIPN symptoms, especially cold sensitivity and unpleasant sensations, indicating a need for further research through randomized control trials to validate these findings.
Aim Of The Study: Breast cancer survivors who take aromatase inhibitors (AI) often suffer from chronic pain. Emerging evidence supports the use of acupuncture as an effective pain management strategy for this condition, but its acceptability among cancer survivors is unknown. We evaluated breast cancer survivors' preferences for acupuncture as compared with medication use and identified factors predictive of this preference.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common toxicity associated with chemotherapy, but researchers rarely study its risk factors, fall risk, and prevalence in long-term breast cancer survivors. We aimed to determine CIPN prevalence, risk factors, and association with psychological distress and falls among long-term breast cancer survivors. We conducted Cross-sectional analyses among postmenopausal women with a history of stage I-III breast cancer who received taxane-based chemotherapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcupuncture for Dyspnea in Lung Cancer: Results of a Feasibility Trial.
Integr Cancer Ther
September 2016
Purpose: Dyspnea is a common and distressing symptom for patients with lung cancer (LC) because of disease burden, therapy toxicity, and comorbid illnesses. Acupuncture is a centuries-old therapy with biological plausibility for relief of dyspnea in this setting. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of acupuncture for dyspnea among patients with LC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Controversy exists over antidepressant use in bipolar II depression.
Aims: To compare the safety and effectiveness of antidepressantv.mood stabiliser monotherapy for bipolar type II major depressive episodes.
Black breast cancer survivors experience greater upper extremity disability.
Breast Cancer Res Treat
November 2015
Over one-third of breast cancer survivors experience upper extremity disability. Black women present with factors associated with greater upper extremity disability, including: increased body mass index (BMI), more advanced disease stage at diagnosis, and varying treatment type compared with Whites. No prior research has evaluated the relationship between race and upper extremity disability using validated tools and controlling for these factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Compare the safety and effectiveness of continuation antidepressant versus mood stabilizer monotherapy for preventing depressive relapse in bipolar II disorder.
Methods: Subjects ≥18 years old with bipolar II depression (n=129) were randomized to double-blind venlafaxine or lithium monotherapy for 12 weeks. Responders with a ≥50% reduction in depression score were continued for an additional 6 months of relapse-prevention monotherapy.