Ancient acupressure meets modern medicine: can ear stimulation replace standard Anti-Nausea drugs?
NCT ID NCT07716228
First seen Jul 21, 2026 · Last updated Jul 22, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This phase 3 trial tests whether a combination of ear acupressure (stimulating specific points on the ear) and a low dose of the steroid dexamethasone can prevent nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy as effectively as standard antiemetic drugs in pancreatic cancer patients. Participants receiving gemcitabine and paclitaxel protein-bound will be randomly assigned to either the acupressure-plus-dexamethasone group or a standard drug regimen. The study tracks nausea, vomiting, appetite, and gastrointestinal function over five days after each chemo session.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- auricular point stimulation (acupressure on ear points) plus dexamethasone
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this approach could offer a drug-sparing, low-cost option to manage chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, improving quality of life during treatment.
- What could go wrong
- This is a relatively small trial, and the non-inferiority design means it may not prove superiority. The acupressure effect may be placebo-driven, and results may not generalize to other chemo regimens.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 3
Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.
- Participants
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About 74 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 85 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients must meet the following inclusion criteria for the study: \* Age ≥ 18 years and ≤ 85 years; \* Patients with pancreatic cancer after radical resection or with advanced pancreatic cancer, who require further chemotherapy with the gemcitabine plus paclitaxel albumin-bound regimen; \* ECOG performance status score of 0-2; \* Normal hematological function (platelet count \> 80×10⁹/L; white blood cell count \> 3×10⁹/L; neutrophil count \> 1.5×10⁹/L); \* Serum bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times the upper limit of normal (ULN), and transaminase ≤ 5 times the ULN; \* No ascites, no gastrointestinal obstruction, normal coagulation function, and serum albumin ≥ 30g/L; \* Child-Pugh classification of liver function is Grade A; \* Serum creatinine \< ULN, or calculated creatinine clearance rate \> 50ml/min. Exclusion Criteria: * Patients who meet any of the following criteria will be excluded from the study: \* Local inflammation or infection of the auricleBleeding tendency or coagulation disorders; \* Severe ascites; \* Gastrointestinal obstruction; \* Hypertensive crisis or hypertensive encephalopathy; \* Severe uncontrolled systemic complications such as infection or diabetes mellitus; \* Clinically severe cardiovascular diseases, including cerebrovascular accident (within 6 months before enrollment), myocardial infarction (within 6 months before enrollment), hypertension that is not well-controlled despite appropriate medication, unstable angina pectoris, congestive heart failure (NYHA Class 2-4), and cardiac arrhythmias requiring drug treatment; \* A history of or physical examination findings indicating central nervous system diseases (e.g., primary brain tumor, epilepsy uncontrolled by standard treatment, any history of brain metastasis or stroke); \* Hypersensitivity to any drugs used in the study; \* Pregnant or lactating women; \* Presence of any other diseases, functional impairment caused by metastatic lesions, or suspicious disorders identified during physical examination, which suggest contraindications to the study drugs or place the patient at high risk of treatment-related complications; \* Inability or unwillingness to comply with the study protocol.
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine
RECRUITINGHangzhou, China
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