Shen, Y., Liu, L., Chiang, J.S., Meng, Z., Garcia, M.K., Chen, Z., . . . Cohen, L. (2014). Randomized, placebo-controlled trial of K1 acupoint acustimulation to prevent cisplatin-induced or oxaliplatin-induced nausea. Cancer, 121, 84–92.
To examine the effects of electrostimulation at the K1 acupoint located on the sole of the foot on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV)
After institutional review board approval, 103 patients with metastatic liver cancer undergoing transcatheter arterial infusions (TAIs) of cisplatin or oxaliplatin were recruited and randomized to group A (tropisetron and electroacustimulation at the K1 acupoint) or B (tropisetron and electrostimulation at a placebo point on the heel). The treatment in both groups lasted for 20 minutes one to two hours before TAI on day 1 and then daily (7 am–9 am) for the subsequent five days. The baseline rate, intensity, and duration of CINV were collected for five days after TAI. Quality of life was assessed daily.
Double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled, longitudinal clinical trial
No differences were found between groups A and B in regard to the incidence and degree of nausea or vomiting at any time point. Patients in group A had better EuroQoL scores than patients in group B (72.83 versus 65.94, p = 5.04) on day 4 but not other days. No group differences were noted at any time point for MASI scores.
Noninvasive electrostimulation of the K1 point combined with tropisetron had no effect on cisplatin-induced or oxaliplatin-induced nausea or vomiting.
Patients receiving chemotherapy experience CINV frequently with highly emetogenic regimens. Complementary therapies might be helpful in reducing this side effect. Instructing patients to refer to their physicians before trying a new intervention is advisable.