Den här översättningen är inte klar ännu. Den här sidan är just nu på engelska.

Gå till den engelska sidan

Cure My Disease

Don't miss your cure!

 Log in / Sign up

Acupuncture offers hope for cancer survivors suffering from chronic dry mouth

NCT ID NCT02589938

Symptom relief Sponsor: Wake Forest University Health Sciences Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study looked at whether acupuncture can reduce dry mouth (xerostomia) caused by radiation therapy in people with head and neck cancer. A total of 258 participants were randomly assigned to receive acupuncture or usual care. The main goal was to see if acupuncture improved dry mouth symptoms, measured by a questionnaire at several time points over 12 weeks.

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

258 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Nov 2012

Finished

Jul 2022

Lead sponsor

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 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

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

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Must be at least 18 years of age and able to give informed consent. * Must be able to read, write and understand English. * Must have a diagnosis of head/neck cancer. * Must have received bilateral radiation therapy, and subsequently developed grade 2 or 3 xerostomia, according to modified Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) scale: * Grade 0 - None * Grade 1 - Slight dryness of mouth (good response on stimulation and no significant dietary alterations necessary) * Grade 2 - Moderate dryness of mouth (poor response on stimulation and altered oral intake required such as frequent water, oral lubricants, or soft-moist foods) * Grade 3 - Complete dryness of mouth (no response on stimulation and difficult oral alimentation; IV fluids, pureed diet or tube feedings may be required) * Grade 4 - Fibrosis * Must have received external beam radiation at a mean dose of at least 24 Gy to one of the parotid glands. The other gland can receive less than 24 Gy. * Must have completed radiotherapy at least 12 months prior to entry. * Must have anatomically intact parotid and submandibular glands. A focused (head/neck) history and exam conducted by a physician or dentist within the past year is required. * Must be acupuncture naïve. * Must have Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-2. Exclusion Criteria: * History of xerostomia, Sjogren's disease or other illness known to affect salivation prior to head/neck radiation. * Suspected or known closure of salivary gland ducts on either side. (Patients addressed in inclusion criteria (i.e. those who have had one submandibular gland removed) are expected to have closure to the removed submandibular gland and will be exempt from this exclusion criteria.) * Currently receiving or planning to use drugs, herbs, alternative medicines, or devices that could affect salivary production. Treatment known to affect salivation should be stopped at least 14 days prior to enrollment. Over the counter products used for salivary substitution are allowed, but will need to be discontinued for at least 24 hours prior to saliva and questionnaire data collection. * Have received any investigational new drug within the past 30 days or planning to receive such during the study period. * Active systemic infection or skin infection at or near the acupuncture sites. * Receiving chemotherapy during study period.

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Head and neck cancer are added.

Vår säkerhetsrekommendation!

Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

head and neck cancer Head and Neck Neoplasms hypopharynx cancer laryngeal neoplasm Mouth Neoplasms nasopharyngeal neoplasm oropharynx cancer radiation injury salivary gland cancer Xerostomia

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Head and neck cancer Oral complications of chemotherapy and head/neck radiation Radiation induced xerostomia Radiation toxicity

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Adena Regional Medical Center

    Chillicothe, Ohio, 45601, United States

  • Christus Saint Vincent Regional Cancer Center

    Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505, United States

  • Columbus Oncology and Hematology Associates Inc

    Columbus, Ohio, 43214, United States

  • Fairview Southdale Hospital

    Edina, Minnesota, 55435, United States

  • Hennepin County Medical Center

    Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55415, United States

  • John H Stroger Jr Hospital of Cook County

    Chicago, Illinois, 60612, United States

  • Kaiser Permanente Medical Center - Santa Clara

    Santa Clara, California, 95051, United States

  • Kaiser Permanente-San Francisco

    San Francisco, California, 94115, United States

  • Kaiser Permanente-San Rafael

    San Rafael, California, 94903, United States

  • Kaiser Permanente-Santa Rosa

    Santa Rosa, California, 95403, United States

  • Kaiser Permanente-Santa Teresa-San Jose

    San Jose, California, 95119, United States

  • Kaiser Permanente-South San Francisco

    South San Francisco, California, 94080, United States

  • Kaiser Permanente-Walnut Creek

    Walnut Creek, California, 94596, United States

  • Kaiser San Rafael-Gallinas

    San Rafael, California, 94903, United States

  • M D Anderson Cancer Center

    Houston, Texas, 77030, United States

  • MD Anderson West Houston

    Houston, Texas, 77079, United States

  • MD Anderson in The Woodlands

    Conroe, Texas, 77384, United States

  • Meharry Medical College

    Nashville, Tennessee, 37208, United States

  • Mercy Health Saint Mary's

    Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49503, United States

  • Mercy Hospital

    Coon Rapids, Minnesota, 55433, United States

  • Park Nicollet Clinic - Saint Louis Park

    Saint Louis Park, Minnesota, 55416, United States

  • Physicians' Clinic of Iowa PC

    Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 52402, United States

  • Prisma Health Cancer Institute - Eastside

    Greenville, South Carolina, 29615, United States

  • Prisma Health Cancer Institute - Seneca

    Seneca, South Carolina, 29672, United States

  • Prisma Health Cancer Institute - Spartanburg

    Boiling Springs, South Carolina, 29316, United States

  • Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital

    Greenville, South Carolina, 29605, United States

  • Providence Portland Medical Center

    Portland, Oregon, 97213, United States

  • Providence Regional Cancer System-Lacey

    Lacey, Washington, 98503, United States

  • Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center/Disney Family Cancer Center

    Burbank, California, 91505, United States

  • Queen's Medical Center

    Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813, United States

  • Saint Luke's Hospital

    Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 52402, United States

  • Spectrum Health at Butterworth Campus

    Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49503, United States

  • The Cancer Center of Hawaii-Liliha

    Honolulu, Hawaii, 96817, United States

  • University of Hawaii Cancer Center

    Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813, United States

  • University of New Mexico Cancer Center

    Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87102, United States

  • Wake Forest University Health Sciences

    Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.