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Acupuncture compared with placebo acupuncture in radiotherapy-induced nausea-a randomized controlled study

Enblom, A. ; Johnsson, Anna LU ; Hammar, M. ; Onelov, E. ; Steineck, G. and Borjeson, S. (2012) In Annals of Oncology 23(5). p.1353-1361
Abstract
It is not known if verum (real) acupuncture is effective for nausea and vomiting (emesis) during radiotherapy. We randomly treated 215 blinded cancer patients with verum: penetrating 'deqi' creating acupuncture (n = 109) or non-penetrating sham needles (n = 106) two to three times per week. The patients documented emesis daily during the radiotherapy period. Primary end point was the number of patients with at least one episode of nausea. In the verum and the sham acupuncture group, 70% and 62% experienced nausea at least once during the radiotherapy period (relative risk 1.1, 95% CI 0.9-1.4) for a mean number of 10.1 and 8.7 days. Twenty five percent and 28% vomited, and 42% and 37% used antiemetic drugs at least once, respectively.... (More)
It is not known if verum (real) acupuncture is effective for nausea and vomiting (emesis) during radiotherapy. We randomly treated 215 blinded cancer patients with verum: penetrating 'deqi' creating acupuncture (n = 109) or non-penetrating sham needles (n = 106) two to three times per week. The patients documented emesis daily during the radiotherapy period. Primary end point was the number of patients with at least one episode of nausea. In the verum and the sham acupuncture group, 70% and 62% experienced nausea at least once during the radiotherapy period (relative risk 1.1, 95% CI 0.9-1.4) for a mean number of 10.1 and 8.7 days. Twenty five percent and 28% vomited, and 42% and 37% used antiemetic drugs at least once, respectively. Ninety-five percent in the verum acupuncture group and 96% in the sham acupuncture group believed that the treatment had been effective against nausea. In both groups, 67% experienced positive effects on relaxation, mood, sleep or pain reduction and 89% wished to receive the treatment again. Acupuncture creating deqi is not more effective than sham in radiotherapy-induced nausea, but in this study, nearly all patients in both groups experienced that the treatment was effective for nausea. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
acupuncture therapy, cancer, complementary medicine, emesis, radiotherapy
in
Annals of Oncology
volume
23
issue
5
pages
1353 - 1361
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • wos:000303336400040
  • scopus:84860491247
  • pmid:21948812
ISSN
1569-8041
DOI
10.1093/annonc/mdr402
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e38c9924-276e-481f-b97a-4bf33cd47d69 (old id 2551622)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:21:13
date last changed
2022-03-21 18:02:02
@article{e38c9924-276e-481f-b97a-4bf33cd47d69,
  abstract     = {{It is not known if verum (real) acupuncture is effective for nausea and vomiting (emesis) during radiotherapy. We randomly treated 215 blinded cancer patients with verum: penetrating 'deqi' creating acupuncture (n = 109) or non-penetrating sham needles (n = 106) two to three times per week. The patients documented emesis daily during the radiotherapy period. Primary end point was the number of patients with at least one episode of nausea. In the verum and the sham acupuncture group, 70% and 62% experienced nausea at least once during the radiotherapy period (relative risk 1.1, 95% CI 0.9-1.4) for a mean number of 10.1 and 8.7 days. Twenty five percent and 28% vomited, and 42% and 37% used antiemetic drugs at least once, respectively. Ninety-five percent in the verum acupuncture group and 96% in the sham acupuncture group believed that the treatment had been effective against nausea. In both groups, 67% experienced positive effects on relaxation, mood, sleep or pain reduction and 89% wished to receive the treatment again. Acupuncture creating deqi is not more effective than sham in radiotherapy-induced nausea, but in this study, nearly all patients in both groups experienced that the treatment was effective for nausea.}},
  author       = {{Enblom, A. and Johnsson, Anna and Hammar, M. and Onelov, E. and Steineck, G. and Borjeson, S.}},
  issn         = {{1569-8041}},
  keywords     = {{acupuncture therapy; cancer; complementary medicine; emesis; radiotherapy}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{1353--1361}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{Annals of Oncology}},
  title        = {{Acupuncture compared with placebo acupuncture in radiotherapy-induced nausea-a randomized controlled study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdr402}},
  doi          = {{10.1093/annonc/mdr402}},
  volume       = {{23}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}