Acupressure in Adults

Did you know that treatment-related symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and pain can be related to poorer quality of life in children with cancer? Research in adults indicates that acupuncture may decrease symptoms such as nausea and vomiting episodes and pain, however more research is needed to determine whether acupressure could help reduce symptoms in children. 

Importance of ACT-CC

Acupuncture/acupressure is a promising adjunctive therapy to usual care which is widely used in adult cancer centers. A growing body of high quality evidence from large meta-analyses and systematic reviews of adult acupuncture point stimulation (AcuS) (needles, laser, or pressure) studies supports use of AcuS for the management of adult pain, headache, cancer-related pain, cancer-related anxiety, chemotherapy-related fatigue, and cancer treatment-related symptoms. In adults, compared to pharmacologic symptom management,  AcuS  provides equivalent or superior symptom relief and decreased use of rescue antiemetics and opioids. Acupressure trials to reduce overall symptoms suggest beneficial effects. Studies of acupuncture and acupressure in children point to similar benefits but sample sizes have been small and more research is needed.

Long Term Impact

ACT-CC is the largest study to date to look at the benefits and risks of an acupressure intervention in this population. Providing high quality evidence could ultimately support stronger recommendations about routine inclusion of Acupressure into pediatric oncology and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant inpatient and outpatient settings worldwide.