Controlled Study Using Acupuncture as an Adjuvant to Treat Chemotherpay-Induced Nausea and Vomiting

摘要

This is a randomized, double blind controlled study designed to assess the effects of Electroacupuncture (EA) on nausea and vomiting induced by chemotherapy in breast cancer patients. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of HA as an adjuvant on N/v in chemotherapy patients who do not respond to conventional antiemetics. Seventy five outpatients will be recruited from the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB) Cancer Center who have shown refractory to 5-HT3 antiemetic and randomized into three treatment groups (n--25 per group) : (1) HA: 10 Hz, 10 min, (2) HA: 100 Hz, 10 min, and (3) a sham acupuncture control group. Research team personnel have been hired and recruitment began in January 2000. As of August 31, forty-two patients have been screened, six were eligible, and four have consented to go on protocol and have now completed the study. The study has experienced difficulty with obtaining sufficient recruitment due to a relatively small breast cancer patient pool at the UMS Cancer Center. An amendment IRE requesting permission to expand the eligibility criteria to include all cancer chemotherapy patients has recently approved by IRE and DOD, and the expanded recruitment procedure will begin in Oct. 2000.