Effect of Acupoints Irradiation with Millimeter-Wave Combined with Thymopentin Treatment on Circulating Lymphocyte Subsets in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer During Chemotherapy: A Clinical Randomized Controlled Trial

The study intended to observe the effect of acupoints irradiation with millimeter-wave combined with thymopentin treatment on peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after chemotherapy. A total of 100 patients with NSCLC treated with chemotherapy, were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group, millimeter-wave group, thymopentin group, and combination group (millimeter-wave combined with thymopentin). Irradiation by millimeter-wave was applied at acupoints of Feishu (BL13), Zusanli (ST36) and Sanyinjiao (SP6), in patients of millimeter-wave and combination groups. Thymopentin was intramuscularly administered in patients of thymopentin and combination groups. Peripheral blood samples were obtained on day 0 (before chemotherapy, d0), day 14 after 1(st) chemotherapy, and day 14 after 2nd chemotherapy. Circulating lymphocyte subsets were analyzed by flow cytometry, including T cells (CD4+, CD8+), B cells and naturalkiller (NK) cells. Compared to the values before chemotherapy (d0), helper T cells (CD3+CD4+), B cells and NK cells counts, and CD4+/CD8+ ratio, reduced after chemotherapy (d14-1 or d14-2) in all groups. However, the statistical significantly reduction was observed only in CD4+/CD8+ ratio on d14-2 in control group, and B cells counts on d14-2 in control, millimeter-wave and thymopentin groups, but not in combination group. The reductions of the above parameters between d0 and d14-1 or d14-2 were improved in patients of millimeter-wave, thymopentin or combination group when compared with control group,The reductions in B cells counts in combination group between d0 and d14-2 were significantly ameliorated as compared with other groups;and control group had a statistically reductions in CD4+/CD8+ ratio between d0 and d14-2 than combination group. Acupoints irradiation with millimeter-wave combined with thymopentin treatment could help restoring the decreased B lymphocytes and CD4+/CD8+ ratio induced by chemotherapy in patients with NSCLC, the effectiveness of which is superior to each one alone.