Electroacupuncture for acute gastrointestinal symptoms during chemotherapy for colorectal cancer: a randomized clinical trial
In brief
Electroacupuncture lowers chemo GI symptom score by ~1.5 points, below clinical relevance
15-point clinical threshold. It also increased the odds of staying rescue-medication free, with no serious harms reported, suggesting a possible adjunctive role while underscoring the need for larger studies to confirm meaningful benefit.
- Journal
- Journal of the National Cancer Institute (Q1)
- Published
- 4 August 2026
- Study design
- Randomized controlled trial
- Evidence level
- Level 1, High (CEBM 1b)
- Authors
- Ziwen Chen, Tao Xu, Mingsheng Sun, Qifu Li, Zihan Yin, Xueli Zhou, et al.
- PMID
- 42550476
- DOI
- 10.1093/jnci/djag265
Why clinicians should know about it
- Picked for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (top studies of the week, 9 August 2026): Electroacupuncture RCT reduces chemotherapy GI symptom burden
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Acute chemotherapy-related gastrointestinal symptoms can limit colorectal cancer treatment. We evaluated electroacupuncture as adjunctive care for acute gastrointestinal symptom burden during chemotherapy. METHODS: This multicenter, randomized, patient- and assessor-blinded, sham-controlled trial was conducted at 6 tertiary hospitals in China from July 2022 to August 2025. Adults with colorectal cancer and chemotherapy-related gastrointestinal symptoms were randomly assigned 1 1:1 to electroacupuncture, nonpenetrating sham acupuncture, or usual care. Treatments were given once daily for 3 days during chemotherapy. The primary outcome was change in Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) total score from baseline to day 3. Secondary outcomes included rescue medication use and adverse events. RESULTS: Among 230 randomized patients (mean age, 60.1 years; 54.3% men), 211 (91.7%) completed the 3-day intervention. At day 3, electroacupuncture reduced GSRS total scores more than sham acupuncture (mean difference [MD], -1.54; 95% CI, -2.35 to -0.74; P < .001) and usual care (MD, -1.30; 95% CI, -2.09 to -0.50; P = .001). These differences did not exceed the prespecified minimal clinically important difference of 2.15 points. Electroacupuncture was associated with higher odds of remaining rescue-free than sham acupuncture (adjusted OR, 2.86; 95% CI, 1.23 to 6.63; P = .015) and usual care (adjusted OR, 2.64; 95% CI, 1.16 to 6.01; P = .021). No serious adverse events occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Electroacupuncture was associated with statistically significant but modest short-term reductions in acute gastrointestinal symptom burden. The between-group differences did not exceed the prespecified clinical-importance threshold and should be interpreted cautiously. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trials Register identifier ChiCTR2200062317.
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.