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Randomized controlled trial · 2018

Open-Label Placebo Treatment for Cancer-Related Fatigue: A Randomized-Controlled Clinical Trial

Hoenemeyer TW, Kaptchuk TJ, Mehta TS, Fontaine KR

Scientific Reports, 2018 · PMID 29426869

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In short

Cancer survivors with persistent fatigue took openly labelled placebo pills for three weeks alongside their usual care.

Study type
Randomized controlled trial
Published
Scientific Reports, 2018
Topics
Open-label placebo, Cancer survivorship, Fatigue

open-label placebo cancer-related fatigue?

In this 2018 trial, cancer survivors who took openly labelled placebo pills reported greater improvement in fatigue severity and fatigue-related quality of life than those receiving usual care — a notable result for a symptom with few effective treatment options.

Cancer-related fatigue is common after treatment ends and has few effective options, which makes it a frequently studied outcome in placebo research.

The question

Can openly labelled placebo pills affect self-reported fatigue and fatigue-related quality of life in cancer survivors?

How it was done

  • 74 cancer survivors reporting at least moderate fatigue, randomized to three weeks of open-label placebo or to treatment as usual.
  • After the three-week period, the control group was offered the placebo regimen for three weeks, and the placebo group could continue.
  • Outcomes were fatigue severity and fatigue-disrupted quality of life on validated self-report scales.

What was reported

  • The open-label placebo group reported greater improvement in fatigue severity and fatigue-related quality of life than treatment as usual.
  • Controls who took placebo in the second phase also reported improvement.
  • Some improvement in the placebo group persisted through the follow-up period reported by the authors.

Limitations

  • Modest sample size and entirely self-reported outcomes.
  • No blinded placebo arm.
  • Fatigue fluctuates naturally after cancer treatment, and a no-pill control does not fully account for attention and monitoring effects.

Why it matters

It extended open-label placebo research into a survivorship population and into a symptom with limited treatment options, and it is one of the most frequently cited trials in the field.

Citation

Hoenemeyer TW, Kaptchuk TJ, Mehta TS, Fontaine KR. Open-label placebo treatment for cancer-related fatigue: a randomized-controlled clinical trial. Sci Rep. 2018;8:2784.

PMID 29426869

This summary is written by Efficacy Labs and is not a substitute for the original publication. The research described here is independent work by third parties and was not conducted using Efficacy Labs products. Efficacy Labs products contain no active therapeutic ingredient and are not intended as substitutes for prescribed medication or professional medical care. Information on this website is provided for general educational and research purposes and is not medical advice. References to published research describe independent scientific literature and do not imply that the research was conducted using Efficacy Labs products unless explicitly stated.

Background

What the placebo effect is, explained simply

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