Acupuncture to Prevent Nausea and Vomiting After Stem Cell Transplant

NCT07747194 | Enrolling By Invitation DMC

• 1 other identifier: PC6-HSCT
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study is testing whether acupuncture at a point on the wrist called "Neiguan" can help reduce nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing stem cell transplantation. Participants will receive either real acupuncture or standard care. We hope to find a safe way to improve comfort during cancer treatment.

Conditions

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT); Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting (CINV)

Keywords

Acupuncture; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; Neiguan

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Incidence and severity of nausea and vomiting during the conditioning regimen for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

  Throughout the conditioning period (approximately 3-7 days)

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Nutritional status assessed by serum albumin and prealbumin levels

  Baseline (pre-conditioning), Day 7, Day14, and Day 28 of conditioning, and Day 30 post-transplant

Study Arms (2)

Acupuncture at Neiguan

EXPERIMENTAL

Procedure: Acupuncture

Standard Care

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Drug: Conventional care

Interventions

Acupuncture PROCEDURE

Add-on manual acupuncture at bilateral Neiguan (PC6) to standard quadruple anti-emetic prophylaxis. Disposable sterile acupuncture needles inserted perpendicularly 0.5-1 cun (approximately 10-25 mm) into Neiguan with even reinforcing-reducing manipulation; needles retained for 30 minutes. Administered once daily throughout the conditioning (preparative) regimen. This distinguishes the intervention from: (1) the active comparator arm in this study, which receives identical pharmacological prophylaxis without acupuncture; and (2) other acupuncture trials that may use electroacupuncture, different acupoints, variable needle depths, or shorter treatment durations.

Acupuncture at Neiguan

Conventional care DRUG

Standard quadruple pharmacological anti-emetic prophylaxis comprising a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, an NK-1 receptor antagonist, dexamethasone, and olanzapine, administered per institutional HSCT supportive care protocol. No acupuncture or sham procedure is provided. This distinguishes the arm from the experimental arm, which receives the identical pharmacological regimen plus add-on manual acupuncture at Neiguan (PC6).

Standard Care

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age 18-65 years, either sex. Patients scheduled to receive a conditioning (preparative) regimen for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).
• Life expectancy ≥ 3 months. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-2. Women of childbearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test (serum or urine) within 7 days prior to enrollment.
• Voluntary participation with signed informed consent.

You may not qualify if:

• Received chemotherapy with highly emetogenic agents within 14 days prior to enrollment.
• Received radiotherapy within 7 days prior to enrollment, or planned radiotherapy during the study period.
• Known hypersensitivity to any study drug or its excipients. Complicated with gastrointestinal obstruction, brain metastasis with symptoms of increased intracranial pressure, or any other condition that may cause and/or exacerbate nausea and vomiting.
• Active infection. Unable to take oral medications. Use of any anti-emetic medication (including corticosteroids) within 48 hours or 5 half-lives of the drug (whichever is longer) prior to enrollment.
• Any episode of nausea, vomiting, or retching within 24 hours prior to the first administration.
• Severe psychiatric illness or cognitive impairment that precludes understanding, reading, and completing patient diaries.
• Any other condition that the investigator deems would make the patient unsuitable for participation in this study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Xiao Wang: lead

Study Sites (1)

The General Hospital of Western Theater Command

Chengdu, Sichuan, 610083, China

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Vomiting

Interventions

Acupuncture Therapy

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Signs and Symptoms, Digestive; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Complementary Therapies; Therapeutics

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Attending Physician

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 31, 2026
• First Posted: August 5, 2026
• Study Start: July 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 30, 2027
• Last Updated: August 5, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07

Locations

CN (1)