Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is one of the most common and distressing side effects in patients with cancer. The introduction and development of antiemetic drugs have significantly improved the ability of clinicians to control CINV, but it is not easy to translate to practical application, owing to financial issues, provider-related barriers, and patient factors. Nondrug therapies are needed to alleviate the symptoms of CINV. Acupuncture is an appropriate adjunctive treatment for CINV, but additional evidence is needed. This study is a multicenter, randomized, sham-controlled prospective clinical trial. A total of 136 participants will be randomly allocated into the intervention group (verum acupuncture) or the control group (sham acupuncture) in a 1:1 ratio. All treatment will be given for 5 days. Participants in both groups will receive acupuncture sessions twice on the first day of chemotherapy and once consecutively on the following 4 days. Each session takes approximately 30 minutes. The primary outcome measure will be the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events to assess CINV. The secondary outcome measures will be the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score, Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale. Safety will be assessed at each visit. The results of this trial will provide clinical evidence for the effect and safety of acupuncture for CINV. ISRCTN Registry identifier: ISRCTN13287728 ). Registered on 28 February 2015. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02369107 . Registered on 17 February 2015.

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a common and often long-lasting symptom for many breast cancer survivors. Evidence for its management is scarce. However, the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Shu Gan Jian Pi (SGJP) granules is an effective and practical therapy for CRF. We will conduct a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to determine whether the SGJP granules can effectively manage CRF. Breast cancer survivors experiencing fatigue within 5 years of primary treatment completion will be enrolled and randomly assigned to Group S (SGJP) or Group P (placebo). The primary outcome measures will include Revised Piper Fatigue Scale score. Outcome measures will be collected at baseline and at weeks 2, 4, and 8. This study’s findings may contribute to the development of an effective intervention for CRF. Current controlled trials ISRCTN12702489 , 14 August, 2013.

Gubenyiliu II (GYII), a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) formula used in our hospital, has shown beneficial effects in cancer patients. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of GYII on murine breast cancer models. GYII showed significant inhibitory effects on tumor growth and metastasis in the murine breast cancer model. Additionally, GYII suppressed the proliferation of 4T1 and MCF-7 cells in a dose-dependent manner. A better inhibitory effect on 4T1 cell proliferation and migration was found in the decomposed recipes (DR) of GYII. Moreover, heparanase expression and the degree of angiogenesis were reduced in tumor tissues. Western blot analysis showed decreased expression of heparanase and growth factors in the cells treated with GYII and its decomposed recipes (DR2 and DR3), and thereby a reduction in the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and serine-threonine kinase (AKT). These results suggest that GYII exerts anti-tumor growth and anti-metastatic effects in the murine breast cancer model. The anti-tumor activity of GYII and its decomposed recipes is, at least partly, associated with decreased heparanase and growth factor expression, which subsequently suppressed the activation of the ERK and AKT pathways.

Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are widely used as an adjuvant endocrine treatment in postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer. One of the main adverse effects of AIs is musculoskeletal symptoms, which leads to a lower quality of life and poor adherence to AI treatment. To date, no effective management of aromatase inhibitor-associated musculoskeletal symptoms (AIMSS) has been developed.

Objectives To identify stable cancer symptom clusters (CSCs) phenotypes and trajectories in patients with breast and ovarian cancer, examine associations with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes and develop prediction models.Methods A multicentre, prospective, longitudinal real-world cohort will enrol 2000 patients with breast cancer and 1000 patients with ovarian cancer. Data include clinical characteristics, symptoms, TCM syndrome information and multiomics data from subgroups. CSCs will be identified using exploratory factor analysis with bootstrap resampling; associations and trajectories will be analysed using regression and mixed-effects models. Prediction models will use LASSO（least absolute shrinkage and selection operator）, random forest and XGBoost（extreme gradient boosting） with internal validation.Results Expected outcomes include stable CSCs phenotypes and clinically useful prediction models.Discussion This study integrates TCM syndrome differentiation to explore CSC heterogeneity and evolution in real-world settings.Conclusion Findings may support personalised symptom management and improve quality of life among patients with cancer.Trial registration number ChiCTR2500111873 (Approval time: 6 November 2025); ITMCTR2025001939 (registration time: 17 July 2025).