Acupuncture in Patients Undergoing Cancer Therapy: Their Interest and Belief in Acupuncture is High, But Few are Using It

Men and older patients expressed weaker beliefs in acupuncture effects than other patients, indicating the importance of collecting expectancy data in future randomized sham-controlled acupuncture studies to be able to treat expectancy as an effect-modifier. The high interest and beliefs in acupuncture effects found also indicate that acupuncture should be available for patients with cancer, for side effects where acupuncture has shown to be effective. In a clinical setting, older men might need more encouragement regarding positive expected outcomes of the acupuncture treatment than younger women.