{"entity":{"id":"acupuncture-xerostomia","kind":"technology","name":"Acupuncture for dry mouth after head and neck radiotherapy","aka":[],"tldr":"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.","status":"emerging","asOf":"2026-09-10","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerostomia","links":[{"label":"Acupuncture for radiation-induced xerostomia in head and neck cancer, randomised trial (JAMA Netw Open 2019)","url":"https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.16910"},{"label":"NCI PDQ: Acupuncture","url":"https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/acupuncture-pdq"}],"tags":["complementary","supportive-care","evidence:moderate"],"related":[],"cancers":["head-and-neck","nasopharyngeal"],"sections":["supportive-care","radiation","rejuvenation"],"technologies":["integrative-oncology","imrt-igrt","dry-mouth-teeth-after-head-neck-radiotherapy"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":["b-toxicity-qol"],"keyPapers":["paper-garcia-jama-netw-open"],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"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"]},"route":"/technologies/acupuncture-xerostomia/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"head-and-neck","kind":"cancer","name":"Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma","route":"/cancers/head-and-neck/"},{"id":"locoregionally-advanced-nasopharyngeal-carcinoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (stage III to IVA)","route":"/cancers/locoregionally-advanced-nasopharyngeal-carcinoma/"},{"id":"nasopharyngeal","kind":"cancer","name":"Nasopharyngeal carcinoma","route":"/cancers/nasopharyngeal/"}],"section":[{"id":"radiation","kind":"section","name":"Radiation Therapy","route":"/fronts/radiation/"},{"id":"rejuvenation","kind":"section","name":"Recovery & Rejuvenation","route":"/fronts/rejuvenation/"},{"id":"supportive-care","kind":"section","name":"Supportive Care & Survivorship","route":"/fronts/supportive-care/"}],"technology":[{"id":"dry-mouth-teeth-after-head-neck-radiotherapy","kind":"technology","name":"Dry mouth, teeth and taste after head and neck radiotherapy","route":"/technologies/dry-mouth-teeth-after-head-neck-radiotherapy/"},{"id":"integrative-oncology","kind":"technology","name":"Evidence-based integrative oncology","route":"/technologies/integrative-oncology/"},{"id":"imrt-igrt","kind":"technology","name":"IMRT / IGRT (modern external beam)","route":"/technologies/imrt-igrt/"}],"bottleneck":[{"id":"b-toxicity-qol","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued","route":"/bottlenecks/b-toxicity-qol/"}],"paper":[{"id":"paper-garcia-jama-netw-open","kind":"paper","name":"Effect of True and Sham Acupuncture on Radiation-Induced Xerostomia Among Patients With Head and Neck Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial","route":"/key-papers/paper-garcia-jama-netw-open/"}],"roadmap":[{"id":"radiation-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Radiotherapy roadmap: X-rays → shaped beams → fewer fractions, particles and FLASH","route":"/roadmaps/radiation-roadmap/"}]}}