# Acupuncture and acupressure for chemotherapy nausea

Source: https://onco.cc/technologies/acupuncture-nausea/  
OnCo record `acupuncture-nausea` (Technology). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Stimulating the P6 point on the inner wrist, with needles, electrical stimulation or a pressure band, adds a small further reduction in chemotherapy vomiting on top of modern anti-sickness drugs. It is safe and cheap, and guidelines say it can be offered.

## Summary

A Cochrane review of 11 randomised trials found that acupuncture-point stimulation reduced the proportion of patients with acute chemotherapy-induced vomiting; electroacupuncture reduced acute vomiting while manual acupuncture did not, and acupressure reduced acute nausea severity but not vomiting. Most of these trials predate NK1 antagonists and olanzapine, so the size of any added benefit on top of current antiemetic regimens is uncertain, and later sham-controlled wristband trials were largely negative. The 2017 SIO breast cancer guideline, endorsed by ASCO in 2018, grades acupressure and electroacupuncture as reasonable additions to standard antiemetics. It is an adjunct, never a substitute for the guideline antiemetic regimen matched to the emetic risk of the chemotherapy.

## Fields

- Kind: Technology
- Status: established
- Last checked: 2026-09-10
- Tags: complementary; supportive-care; evidence:moderate
- Principle: Needling or pressure at PC6 (Neiguan) is thought to modulate vagal tone and brainstem emetic circuits and to raise endogenous opioid and serotonin activity; sham-controlled trials suggest part of the effect is expectation.
- Strengths: Very low risk when performed by a trained practitioner with sterile needles; Wristbands are cheap and self-administered; Endorsed as an add-on in SIO and ASCO guidance
- Limitations: Trials are old and predate current antiemetics; Sham-controlled wristband trials mostly negative; Not a replacement for 5-HT3, NK1 and olanzapine regimens

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acupuncture
- Cochrane: acupuncture-point stimulation for chemotherapy-induced nausea or vomiting (2006): https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD002285.pub2
- SIO clinical practice guideline: integrative therapies during and after breast cancer treatment (CA Cancer J Clin 2017): https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21397
- ASCO endorsement of the SIO breast cancer guideline (JCO 2018): https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2018.79.2721
- NCI PDQ: Acupuncture: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/acupuncture-pdq

## Connected records

- fronts: [Chemotherapy](https://onco.cc/fronts/chemotherapy/), [Supportive Care & Survivorship](https://onco.cc/fronts/supportive-care/)
- technologies: [Antiemetics for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting](https://onco.cc/technologies/antiemetic-therapy/), [Cytotoxic chemotherapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/cytotoxic-chemotherapy/), [Evidence-based integrative oncology](https://onco.cc/technologies/integrative-oncology/)
- institutions: [Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer](https://onco.cc/institutions/mascc/)
- terms: [Placebo](https://onco.cc/terms/placebo/), [Quality of life](https://onco.cc/terms/quality-of-life/)
- bottlenecks: [Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-toxicity-qol/)
- key papers: [Acupuncture-point stimulation for chemotherapy-induced nausea or vomiting](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-ezzo-cochrane-database-syst-rev/), [Clinical practice guidelines on the evidence-based use of integrative therapies during and after breast cancer treatment](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-greenlee-ca-cancer-j-clin/), [Integrative Therapies During and After Breast Cancer Treatment: ASCO Endorsement of the SIO Clinical Practice Guideline](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-lyman-j-clin-oncol/)

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