Recruiting

Acupressure

Sponsor:

Mayo Clinic

Code:

NCT06723041

Conditions

Hematopoietic and Lymphatic System Neoplasm

Malignant Solid Neoplasm

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Acupressure Therapy

Acupressure Therapy - placebo

Acupressure Therapy - self-administered

Health Promotion and Education

Survey Administration

Study Details

Brief summary:

This clinicaI trial is being done to determine if acupressure is helpful to reduce anxiety related to chemotherapy, compared with "sham" (or placebo) acupressure in patients with cancer. Anxiety, experienced by many patients with cancer, can be related to chemotherapy and may contribute to other symptoms, such as nausea and poor quality of life. Some patients diagnosed with cancer express interest in non-medicine ways to manage symptoms. Acupressure is the application of non-invasive finger pressure along energy points throughout the body in order to relieve pain and induce a feeling of well-being. Previous research has shown that acupressure can help both adults and children with their anxiety in certain situations, such as after surgery. Patients can be taught how to do the acupressure on themselves, making this an intervention that can be done anywhere. Acupressure is well tolerated with minimal reports of adverse reactions. Undergoing acupressure may be effective in reducing anxiety in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

Conditions

Hematopoietic and Lymphatic System Neoplasm

Malignant Solid Neoplasm

Study ID

NCT06723041

Start date

Dec 11, 2024

Status verified date

May, 2026

Completion date

Dec 31, 2028

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec 31, 2028

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • NURSE-LED INTERVENTION: Age >= 18 years and be diagnosed with cancer
  • NURSE-LED INTERVENTION: Undergoing systemic, antineoplastic therapy
  • NURSE-LED INTERVENTION: Ability to provide oral consent
  • NURSE-LED INTERVENTION: Willingness to undergo a nurse-led acupressure intervention
  • NURSE-LED INTERVENTION: Willingness and ability to complete pre- and post-intervention questionnaires in English
  • NURSE-LED INTERVENTION: Report acute anxiety as a 5 or higher on a scale for 0 (no anxiety) to 10 (severe anxiety)
  • SELF-ADMINISTRATION INTERVENTION: Age >= 18 years and be diagnosed with cancer
  • SELF-ADMINISTRATION INTERVENTION: Undergoing systemic, antineoplastic therapy
  • SELF-ADMINISTRATION INTERVENTION: Ability to provide oral consent
  • SELF-ADMINISTRATION INTERVENTION: Willingness to undergo a nurse-led acupressure intervention
  • SELF-ADMINISTRATION INTERVENTION: Willingness and ability to complete pre- and post-intervention questionnaires in English
  • SELF-ADMINISTRATION INTERVENTION: Report acute anxiety as a 5 or higher on a scale for 0 (no anxiety) to 10 (severe anxiety)
  • SELF-ADMINISTRATION INTERVENTION: Reports 2+/day anxiety episodes at home
  • SELF-ADMINISTRATION INTERVENTION: Interested in learning self-administered acupressure

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Prior experiences with acupressure, or training in acupressure points

Study Design

Enrollment

78 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Supportive Care

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Arm I (true acupressure)

Patients undergo true acupressure over 10 minutes on study. Patients that choose to learn self-administration acupressure at home receive educational information and undergo self-administration acupressure sessions at least BID for seven days.

sham comparator: Arm II (sham acupressure)

Patients undergo sham acupressure over 10 minutes on study. Patients that choose to learn self-administration acupressure at home receive educational information and undergo self-administration acupressure sessions at least BID for seven days.

Interventions

Acupressure Therapy

Undergo true acupressure

Acupressure Therapy - placebo

Undergo sham acupressure

Acupressure Therapy - self-administered

Undergo self-administered acupressure

Health Promotion and Education

Receive educational handouts

Survey Administration

Ancillary studies

Primary outcome measure

  • Change in acute anxiety [ Time Frame: Up to 2 weeks ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Clinical Trials Referral Office

855-776-0015mayocliniccancerstudies@mayo.edu

Jennifer Manggaard

507-255-7768Manggaard.Jennifer@mayo.edu

Locations

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

Recruiting

Rochester, Minnesota, United States, 55905

Contacts

Clinical Trials Referral Office

855-776-0015mayocliniccancerstudies@mayo.edu

Jennifer Manggaard

507-255-7768Manggaard.Jennifer@mayo.edu

Principal Investigator:

Elizabeth Cathcart-Rake, MD

More Information

Sponsor

Mayo Clinic

Last update posted

May 28, 2026

Last verified

May, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Mayo Clinic on 2026-05-28.