# Acupuncture for dry mouth after head and neck radiotherapy

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

## TL;DR

Radiotherapy to the head and neck can permanently dry the mouth. A randomised trial in the United States and China found that acupuncture given during radiotherapy reduced dry mouth a year later compared with standard care, an effect that needs confirming.

## Summary

Xerostomia after head and neck radiotherapy is common and often permanent because salivary glands sit in the treatment field. In a three-arm randomised trial of 399 patients at Fudan University and MD Anderson (Garcia et al., JAMA Network Open 2019), acupuncture three times a week during radiotherapy reduced patient-reported xerostomia at 12 months compared with standard care, with sham acupuncture intermediate; the effect was clearer at the Chinese centre than the American one. Earlier small trials of acupuncture and of acupuncture-like transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (ALTENS, RTOG 0537) for established xerostomia showed improvement in symptoms without objective salivary flow changes. Intensity-modulated radiotherapy that spares the parotids, and amifostine where used, remain the primary preventive measures.

## Fields

- Kind: Technology
- Status: emerging
- Last checked: 2026-09-10
- Tags: complementary; supportive-care; evidence:moderate
- Principle: Stimulation of points around the ear and hands is proposed to increase parasympathetic salivary drive and protect gland function during irradiation.
- Strengths: Randomised, two-country trial with a sham arm; Symptom benefit persisted to one year; No meaningful adverse events
- Limitations: Effect differed between centres; Objective saliva measures rarely improve; Needs replication before guideline adoption

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerostomia
- Acupuncture for radiation-induced xerostomia in head and neck cancer, randomised trial (JAMA Netw Open 2019): https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.16910
- NCI PDQ: Acupuncture: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/acupuncture-pdq

## Connected records

- cancers: [Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/head-and-neck/), [Locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (stage III to IVA)](https://onco.cc/cancers/locoregionally-advanced-nasopharyngeal-carcinoma/), [Nasopharyngeal carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/nasopharyngeal/)
- fronts: [Radiation Therapy](https://onco.cc/fronts/radiation/), [Recovery & Rejuvenation](https://onco.cc/fronts/rejuvenation/), [Supportive Care & Survivorship](https://onco.cc/fronts/supportive-care/)
- technologies: [Dry mouth, teeth and taste after head and neck radiotherapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/dry-mouth-teeth-after-head-neck-radiotherapy/), [Evidence-based integrative oncology](https://onco.cc/technologies/integrative-oncology/), [IMRT / IGRT (modern external beam)](https://onco.cc/technologies/imrt-igrt/)
- bottlenecks: [Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-toxicity-qol/)
- key papers: [Effect of True and Sham Acupuncture on Radiation-Induced Xerostomia Among Patients With Head and Neck Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-garcia-jama-netw-open/)
- roadmaps: [Radiotherapy roadmap: X-rays → shaped beams → fewer fractions, particles and FLASH](https://onco.cc/roadmaps/radiation-roadmap/)

---
JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/acupuncture-xerostomia.json