Efficacy of Press Needle at PC6 Neiguan and ST36 Zusanli as Adjuvant Therapy in Reducing Symptoms of Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting in Pediatric Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

Background: One of the most common and troubling side effects of chemotherapy in pediatric is chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Acupuncture is a nonpharmacologic approach that has been shown to reduce CINV symptoms 1 of the minimally invasive modalities that can be applied to children is the press needle. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of press needle acupuncture in reducing CINV symptoms as assessed by the Rhodes index of nausea, vomiting, and retching (RINVR) score in pediatric cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: The study design was a single randomized controlled trial with sham control. This study was followed by 60 pediatric cancer patients who randomly allocated into the treatment (n = 30) and control (n = 30) groups. In the treatment group, a press needle was placed at the PC6 Neiguan and ST36 Zusanli points, followed by acupressure stimulation, while patients in the control group received a press needle sham without any stimulation. During the study all subjects continued to receive standard antiemetic therapy. Evaluation of nausea and vomiting was carried out every day for up to 6th day after chemotherapy using a RINVR questionnaire. Results: There was a significant decrease in RINVR scores between the day of chemotherapy and 3 days after chemotherapy in the treatment group (P = 0.005). RINVR scores on the day of chemotherapy, 3 and 6 days after chemotherapy in the treatment group were lower than the control group, but the difference between the 2 groups was not significantly different (P = 0.525, P = 0.506, P = 0.284). Conclusion: Press needle acupuncture is able to reduce the RINVR score and can be applied to pediatric patients because of its minimal side effects, but further research is needed to determine the appropriate treatment time.