Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trial
In brief
Acupuncture cuts chemotherapy vomiting risk by about 40% and halves nausea
A meta-analysis of 49 randomized trials involving 4,133 cancer patients found that adding acupuncture reduced vomiting episodes by roughly 40% and lowered nausea incidence by about 50% compared with standard care or sham treatment. The benefit was seen across multiple acupoints, especially ST36 and PC6, and no major safety concerns emerged. Larger, high-quality trials are needed to confirm these results and define optimal treatment protocols.
- Journal
- Frontiers in neurology (Q2)
- Published
- 3 July 2026
- Study design
- Systematic review / meta-analysis of RCTs
- Evidence level
- Level 1, High (CEBM 1a)
- Authors
- Jiongli Chen, Fangyue Xu, Lingyu Zhang, Shengyang Hu, Yaxuan Xu, Qiongbo Hua, et al.
- PMID
- 42490841
- DOI
- 10.3389/fneur.2026.1774507
Why clinicians should know about it
- Picked for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (top studies of the week, 26 July 2026): Acupuncture for CINV meta-analysis, practice-changing evidence
- Picked for Oncology and Radiation Oncology (top studies of the week, 26 July 2026): Acupuncture significantly reduces chemotherapy‑induced nausea and vomiting
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) represents a common and debilitating side effects in cancer patients, often compromising treatment adherence and quality of life. Current management remains suboptimal, necessitating the exploration of complementary therapies. Acupuncture, as a widely used adjunctive therapy, has been attempted for the treatment of CINV. This study aims to systematically evaluate the effect and safety of acupuncture in managing CINV. METHODS: We comprehensively searched seven electronic databases (EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodicals Databas, and Wanfang) and two clinical trial registries (ClinicalTrials.gov, Chinese Clinical Trial Registry) for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing acupuncture with sham acupuncture or conventional treatment for CINV. The primary outcomes included complete response rate (no vomiting episodes plus no or mild nausea), the frequency of vomiting episodes, and validated scale scores. Studies quality were assessed by using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tools.The registration number of this study is CRD420251102130. RESULTS: 49 RCTs involving 4,133 participants were included in this study. The results demonstrated that compared with the control group, acupuncture significantly reduced the incidence of vomiting (RR = 0.583, 95% CI: 0.523-0.650), vomiting severity (MD = -0.839, 95% CI: -1.256 to -0.422) and vomiting episodes (MD = -3.704, 95% CI: -6.256 to -1.152). Additionally, acupuncture lowered the incidence of nausea (RR = 0.532, 95% CI: 0.432-0.655), and nausea severity (MD = -0.895, 95% CI: -1.273 to -0.516). The most utilized acupoints were Zusanli (ST36, n = 42), Neiguan (PC6, n = 38), and Zhongwan (CV12, n = 23). CONCLUSION: This study confirms that acupuncture is effective as an adjunctive therapy for CINV. While future large-scale, rigorously designed RCTs are warranted to further validate these findings, the current evidence provides a robust rationale for its integration into clinical practice. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: The registration number of this study is CRD420251102130.
Abstract as published, via PubMed.
For healthcare professionals. The summary is generated by AI from the published abstract, and the evidence level is assigned automatically from the study design on the Oxford CEBM hierarchy. Neither is medical advice. Read the full paper before changing practice.