An interventional study of Acupressure Therapy and Best Practice in Clinical Stage II Esophageal Adenocarcinoma AJCC v8, Clinical Stage II Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma AJCC v8 and Clinical Stage II Gastric Cancer AJCC v8, sponsored by University of Washington. Terminated at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-18.
Sponsored by University of Washington · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
This clinical trial evaluates the feasibility and acceptability of acupressure to the ear (auricular) to address appetite and weight in patients with stage II-IV gastric, esophageal, or pancreatic cancer. Cancer anorexia, the abnormal loss of appetite, directly leads to cancer-associated weight loss (cachexia) through malnourishment, reduced caloric intake, treatment side-effects, and other modifiable risk factors. Cachexia prolongs length of hospital stay for patients, negatively impacts treatment tolerance and adherence, and reduces overall patient quality of life. Auricular acupressure is a form of micro-acupuncture that exerts its effect by stimulating the central nervous system using adhesive taped pellets applied to specific locations on the external ear. The use of these pellets to deliver auricular acupressure has been shown to improve pain, fatigue, insomnia, nausea and vomiting, depression, and quality of life in both cancer and non-cancer settings. Auricular acupressure is a safe, inexpensive, and non-invasive approach to addressing cancer-related symptoms and treatment side-effects and may be effective at improving appetite and weight loss in stage II-IV gastric, esophageal, and pancreatic cancer patients.
OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms.
ARM I: Patients undergo auricular acupressure in addition to their usual care on study. Patients also undergo collection of blood samples on study.
ARM II: Patients receive usual care on study. Patients also undergo collection of blood samples on study.
After completion of study treatment, patients in Arm II are followed up at 8 weeks after active treatment ends.
3,235 studies on the registry are indexed under Pancreatic Neoplasms; 899 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 3 is below the median of 46 across 2,424 interventional studies indexed under Pancreatic Neoplasms.
Browse Pancreatic Neoplasms studies →University of Washington is the lead sponsor of 1,397 studies on the registry; 225 are open to participants now.
Of its 154 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 132 (86%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Inclusion Criteria:
Patients undergo auricular acupressure in addition to their usual care on study. Patients also undergo collection of blood samples on study.
Procedure: Acupressure Therapy · Other: Best Practice · Procedure: Biospecimen Collection · Other: Questionnaire Administration
Patients receive usual care on study. Patients also undergo collection of blood samples on study.
Other: Best Practice · Procedure: Biospecimen Collection · Other: Questionnaire Administration
Undergo auricular acupressure
Also known as: Acupressure, Ischemic Compression
Receive usual care
Also known as: standard of care, standard therapy
Undergo collection of blood samples
Also known as: Biological Sample Collection, Biospecimen Collected, Specimen Collection
Ancillary studies
Also known as: Quality of Life Assessment
Accrual (feasibility)
Accrual will be measured by the average rate of participants-per-month enrolled into both groups with the goal of 5 patients/month over a 15-month period.
Time frame: Up to 15 months
Retention (feasibility)
Retention will be measured by the number of participants who remain in the trial and provide data at the closeout visit.
Time frame: Up to 8 weeks
Intervention adherence (feasibility)
Adherence will be measured in the intervention group by the number of applied auricular acupressure treatments, with the total possible being 8.
Time frame: Up to 8 weeks
Intervention fidelity (feasibility)
Fidelity will be assessed by study team adherence to symptom query and appropriate ear seed point modifications to the standard protocol and accuracy of seed placement according to photographic analysis.
Time frame: Up to 8 weeks
Acceptability (feasibility)
Acceptability will be assessed using a random convenience sample of participants and providers through semi-structured interviews.
Time frame: Up to 16 weeks
Change in appetite
As measured by the Functional Assessment for Anorexia/Cachexia Treatment Subscale. Analyses will assess change in each outcome as a change from baseline to week 4.
Time frame: Baseline to week 4
Change in appetite
As measured by the Functional Assessment for Anorexia/Cachexia Treatment Subscale. Analyses will assess change in each outcome as a change from baseline to week 8.
Time frame: Baseline to week 8
Change in body weight (kg)
Analyses will assess change in each outcome as a change from baseline to week 4.
Time frame: Baseline to week 4
Change in body weight (kg)
Analyses will assess change in each outcome as a change from baseline to week 8.
Time frame: Baseline to week 8
Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.
Plan to share: Yes — Individual participant data that underlie the results reported in published articles after de-identification may be made available upon request (text, tables, figures, and appendices).
Supporting information: Study protocol, Sap, Icf
This study is terminated, as verified in May 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
University of Washington