Can a simple ear massage help cancer patients eat better?
NCT ID NCT05911243
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This small pilot study tested whether applying acupressure to the ear could help improve appetite and prevent weight loss in people with advanced stomach, esophagus, or pancreatic cancer. The approach uses small adhesive pellets placed on specific ear spots to stimulate the nervous system. Only 3 people enrolled before the study was stopped, so we cannot draw firm conclusions.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Acupressure therapy (auricular acupressure with adhesive pellets)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a safe, low-cost way to help cancer patients with appetite loss and weight maintenance.
- What could go wrong
- This was a very small pilot study (only 3 participants) that was terminated early, so results are limited and may not apply to others.
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
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
-
3 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jul 2024
- Finished
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Jul 2025
- 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
-
18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * 18-65 years of age * Stage II-IV gastric, esophageal, or pancreatic cancer * Appetite score on visual analog scale ≤ 70/100 * At least 60 days of planned systemic treatment, whether already initiated or scheduled to be initiated * Access to phone and electronic device for study contacts and questionnaires * Willing and able to attend 4 in-person auricular acupressure treatments at the Fred Hutch South Lake Union Clinic * Willing and able to perform 4 at-home self-applied treatments of auricular acupressure * Participants must not have received acupressure or acupuncture for low appetite within last 30 days * Participants must not be actively using corticosteroids, mirtazapine (Remeron), olanzapine (Zyprexa), or Marinol for appetite stimulation at baseline * Participants must be able to intake food orally and not require sole or supplemental intravenous nutrition at baseline * Participants must not have a history of physiological eating disorders (e.g., anorexia nervosa) in the last 3 years * Participants must not have a current known or diagnosed immunodeficiency * Participants must have an intact auricular pinna * Able to understand and willing to sign written informed consent in English
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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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