Can acupuncture and ice chips beat chemo nerve damage?
NCT ID NCT04505553
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This phase 2 trial looked at whether adding acupuncture and acupressure to oral cryotherapy (sucking on ice chips) can reduce nerve pain caused by oxaliplatin chemotherapy in people with gastrointestinal cancers. 78 patients were split into two groups: one got cryotherapy alone, the other got cryotherapy plus acupuncture and acupressure. The study measured changes in nerve pain severity over three months using a standard questionnaire.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Acupuncture, acupressure, and oral cryotherapy
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a drug-free way to ease nerve pain from chemotherapy for people with gastrointestinal cancers.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study with only 78 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The added benefit of acupuncture over cryotherapy alone may be small or none.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortium
Seattle, Washington, 98109, United States
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