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CompletedNCT00003817Updated Oct 15, 2015

Acupressure and Acustimulation Wrist Bands for the Prevention of Nausea and Vomiting Caused by Chemotherapy

A Phase 2 interventional study of dolasetron mesylate and granisetron hydrochloride in Nausea and Vomiting and Unspecified Adult Solid Tumor, Protocol Specific, sponsored by Gary Morrow. Completed at 2 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 120 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2015-10-15.

Sponsored by Gary Morrow · Phase 2, Interventional, and Supportive care

Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
700
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 120 Years
Sex
All
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Study summary

RATIONALE: Pressure or nerve stimulation applied to an acupuncture point on the inside of the wrist may help control nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: Randomized phase II trial to study the effectiveness of acupressure and acustimulation wrist bands in treating nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.

Read the detailed description

OBJECTIVES: I. Evaluate the efficacy of acupressure and acustimulation as adjuncts to standard serotonin antiemetics in reducing acute nausea (day of treatment) and delayed nausea (1-4 days following treatment) associated with cisplatin or doxorubicin based chemotherapy in cancer patients. II. Evaluate the efficacy of acupressure and acustimulation in reducing acute and delayed vomiting and in improving quality of life in cancer patients. III. Investigate the relationship between expectations for the development of chemotherapy-related nausea/vomiting and its actual occurrence in cancer patients.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized study. Patients are stratified according to chemotherapy agent and research site. Patients are randomized to one of three treatment arms. Arm I: Patients receive standard antiemetic therapy with serotonin receptor antagonists. Arm II: Patients receive standard antiemetic therapy with serotonin receptor antagonists and wear an acupressure wrist band (an elastic band equipped with a small plastic button used to apply pressure to a specific point on the wrist) continuously for 5 consecutive days except when necessary to avoid immersion in water. Patients may wear the band on either wrist, including alternating between wrists if desired. Arm III: Patients receive standard antiemetic therapy with serotonin receptor antagonists and wear an acustimulation wrist band (a portable transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator (TENS) device) continuously for 5 consecutive days except when necessary to avoid immersion in water. Patients may wear the band on either wrist, including alternating between wrists if desired, and may adjust the intensity of stimulation for optimum effectiveness. All patients complete a questionnaire concerning expectations of nausea and other side effects prior to receiving chemotherapy with cisplatin and doxorubicin. Patients in arms II and III complete this measure after the wrist band is in position. All patients complete a questionnaire and a 5 day diary at home concerning nausea and emesis following the first chemotherapy treatment, and then complete a quality of life questionnaire on the fourth day following treatment.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 700 patients will be accrued for this study over 3 years.

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Conditions studied

  • Nausea and Vomiting
  • Unspecified Adult Solid Tumor, Protocol Specific

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Keywords

  • unspecified adult solid tumor, protocol specific
  • nausea and vomiting
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In context

Nausea

822 studies on the registry are indexed under Nausea; 104 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 700 is above the median of 115 across 703 interventional studies indexed under Nausea.

Browse Nausea studies →

Lead sponsor

Gary Morrow is the lead sponsor of 16 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 120 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Eligibility criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Diagnosis of cancer No symptomatic brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: 18 and over Performance status: Not specified Life expectancy: Not specified Hematopoietic: Not specified Hepatic: Not specified Renal: Not specified Cardiovascular: No cardiac pacemaker Other: No clinical evidence of current or impending bowel obstruction Able to understand English

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: No concurrent interferon Chemotherapy: No prior chemotherapy Concurrent cisplatin or doxorubicin based chemotherapy required No multiple day doses of cisplatin, doxorubicin, hexamethylmelamine, dacarbazine, nitrosourea or streptozocin Other concurrent chemotherapy allowed on 1 or multiple days Endocrine therapy: Not specified Radiotherapy: No concurrent radiotherapy Surgery: Not specified Other: Serotonin receptor antagonist antiemetic (ondansetron, granisetron, tropisetron, or dolasetron mesylate) required

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Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomized
Enrollment
700 participants (estimated)

Interventions

  • Drugdolasetron mesylate
  • Druggranisetron hydrochloride
  • Drugondansetron
  • Drugtropisetron
  • Procedurequality-of-life assessment
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Study locations

2 sites
  • Hackensack University Medical Center
    Hackensack, New Jersey 07601, United States
  • University of Rochester Cancer Center
    Rochester, New York 14642, United States
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References and documents

Publications

  • Roscoe JA, Morrow GR, Hickok JT, Bushunow P, Pierce HI, Flynn PJ, Kirshner JJ, Moore DF, Atkins JN. The efficacy of acupressure and acustimulation wrist bands for the relief of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. A University of Rochester Cancer Center Community Clinical Oncology Program multicenter study. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2003 Aug;26(2):731-42. doi: 10.1016/s0885-3924(03)00254-9. PubMed 12906958 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Oct 15, 2015, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00003817
Lead sponsor
Gary Morrow
Collaborators
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Responsible party
Gary Morrow (Director, University of Rochester NCORP Research Base, University of Rochester NCORP Research Base) — Sponsor-investigator
First posted
Mar 23, 2004
Start date
Oct 1999
Primary completion
Jul 2001
Completion
Jul 2001
Last update
Oct 15, 2015

Study contacts

Gary R. Morrow, PhD, MS
study chair · James P. Wilmot Cancer Center
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Oct 2015. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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