Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42126652›Full record

Trial reportSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2026

Acupuncture for chemotherapy-induced dysgeusia (AcuDysg): a randomized controlled trial.

Christine Huber, Jürgen Barth, Lea Bührer, Christoph Driessen, Ulrike Held, Twyla Müller, Stephanie Roll, Marc Schlaeppi, Anita V Thomae, Petra Voiß and 2 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled TrialMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Trial report in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Christine HuberComplementary and Integrative Digital Health, Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich and University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0009-9296
Jürgen BarthComplementary and Integrative Digital Health, Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich and University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7096-7178
Lea BührerDepartment of Biostatistics at the Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0007-1723-6684
Christoph DriessenFaculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1124-7303
Ulrike HeldDepartment of Biostatistics at the Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3105-5840
Twyla MüllerComplementary and Integrative Digital Health, Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich and University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1037-5714
Stephanie RollInstitute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1191-3289
Marc SchlaeppiCenter for Integrative Medicine, HOCH Health Ostschweiz Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen, St., Gallen, Switzerland.
Anita V ThomaeComplementary and Integrative Digital Health, Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich and University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7891-6121
Petra VoißClinic for Integrative Oncology & Supportive Care, Evang. Kliniken Essen-Mitte Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg, Essen, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9005-0479
Linxin ZhangComplementary and Integrative Digital Health, Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich and University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4612-460X
Claudia M WittComplementary and Integrative Digital Health, Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich and University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. claudia.witt@uzh.ch.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5440-7805

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe study investigated the effectiveness of dysgeusia-specific acupuncture combined with self-acupressure compared to supportive acupuncture and self-acupressure for chemotherapy-induced dysgeusia in cancer patients with cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and dysgeusia.

methodsThis multicenter, randomized, controlled, two-armed parallel-group, single-blind trial included cancer patients with CRF and dysgeusia during chemotherapy. All participants received CRF treatment consisting of eight acupuncture sessions over 8 weeks and had access to an eLearning course for self-acupressure. Patients in the intervention group received additional dysgeusia-specific acupuncture treatment and an eLearning with instructions to acupressure points, whereas the control group received an intervention focused solely on addressing CRF. The main outcome was perceived dysgeusia over 8 weeks, measured weekly after each acupuncture session on a numeric rating scale from 1 to 10. Other outcomes included taste and smell tests, and assessments of perceived dysgeusia, fatigue, distress, and quality of life. Due to a small sample size, results can be only judged exploratory. The study was approved by the Cantonal Ethics Committee (CEC) (Kanton Zürich Kantonale Ethikkommission) (approval no. KEK-ZH-Nr. 2020-01900).

resultsSince we included only twenty-one patients (11 intervention, 10 control, 90% female) instead of the target sample size of 130, no confirmatory effectiveness analyses were conducted. All participants showed a substantial decrease in dysgeusia over time, regardless of treatment type (estimated mean reduction per session - 0.30; 95% CI - 0.43 to - 0.18), reflecting a 0.30-point reduction per session. Quality of life and cancer-related fatigue improved over time. The exploratory analyses did not show substantial differences between groups in any outcomes. No serious adverse events occurred.

conclusionsExploratory findings showed no substantial differences between the study groups in perceived dysgeusia, but both study groups improved over time. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: DRKS00023348 at 03.11.2020, SNCTP000004128.

Indexed as

Acupuncture TherapyAntineoplastic AgentsDysgeusiaNeoplasmsAdultAgedFatigueFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedQuality of LifeSingle-Blind MethodTreatment OutcomeAntineoplastic AgentsAcupunctureChemotherapyDigital healthDysgeusiaIntegrative oncologyRandomized controlled trialSelf-acupressure

Identifiers

PMID42126652
PMCPMC13171635

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.