Efficacy differences of electroacupuncture with single acupoint or matching acupoints for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

BackgroundPrevious studies have shown that acupuncture is beneficial for the alleviation of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. However, there is a lack of clinical evidence concerning the effects of acupoint-matching on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.Methods/designThis is a parallel randomized controlled trial to evaluate the occurrence of nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy (the incidence of nausea and vomiting, frequency, VAS score, RINVR rating) as the main outcome for cancer. Quality of life, anxiety and depression scores are the secondary outcomes. Quality of life, anxiety and depression scores are the secondary phase. Use of remedy drugs, routine blood examination, and blood biochemical tests are the safety evaluation. We also compare the different effects of ST36 (single acupoint), CV12 (single acupoint), and ST36-CV12 matching groups.DiscussionThe results of this trial are expected to explore the effects of matching different acupoints and to offer biologic plausibility for the use of acupuncture in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV).Trial registrationThis trial is registered with clinicaltrials.gov NCT02195921, The date of registration was 17 July 2014.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13063-017-2186-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Synergistic immunoreaction of acupuncture-like dissolving microneedles containing thymopentin at acupoints in immune-suppressed rats

“…Acupuncture treatment is actually the stimulation of the meridian and the acupoints. The acupoint injection 7 , acupressure 8 , electrical stimulation 9 and other a variety of alternatives of acupuncture are known to achieve a good clinical treatment effect.…”

Therapeutic effect of low frequency electric pulse therapy on cisplatin-based chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in patients with lung adenocarcinoma: A prospective controlled study

“…[8] Numerous studies have reported the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of CINV. [12] However, acupuncture requires a high level of experience on the part of the operator, and may cause pain and even rejection. Therefore, it is urgently needed in clinical practice to stimulate the relevant acupoints with a noninvasive and convenient therapy to replace the effect of acupuncture treatment.…”

“…Validity: Ranks 0 and 1; Effective rate = effective cases/total cases × 100%. [12] FLIE scores were calculated using specialized measures and statistical methods to assess the impact of acute nausea and vomiting within 48 hours after chemotherapy and delayed nausea and vomiting within 6 days after chemotherapy on patients’ quality of life. The Cronbach a-α coefficient of the FLIE scale was 0.79, and the structural validity was 0.74–0.97.…”

Electro-Acupuncture Alleviates Cisplatin-Induced Anorexia in Rats by Modulating Ghrelin and Monoamine Neurotransmitters

“…The EA stimulation also induced changes in the levels of hormones and neurotransmitters related to appetite controlling. The acupuncture point CV12 has been studied in many clinical trials for the prevention of nausea and vomiting induced by chemotherapy [32,33,34,35]. In addition, the acupuncture treatment at CV12 showed a significant improvement in persistent hiccups [19] and pains [20] in patients with cancer.…”