Clinical trial · Interventional
Acupuncture for Unintentional Weight Loss and Anorexia With GI Cancer
Impact of Mechanism Based Acupuncture Intervention to Improve Weight Loss in GI Cancer Patients With Cachexia
NCT02148159CI-TRIAL-00036603completedN/AClinicalTrials.gov clinicaltrialsProvenance
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
Patients with cancer often experience appetite loss and weight loss unintentionally. Rapid weight loss negatively impact on physical functioning, quality of life, and overall survival. Patients will be randomly assigned into two groups. An intervention with acupuncture may slow down or stop the progression of cancer-related anorexia and weight loss.
Conditions
Conditions (1)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malignant Neoplasm of Gastrointestinal Tract | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cachexia Acupuncture-A (Peace Classic Needles® ) | Device | — | UNRESOLVED |
| General Acupuncture-B (Peace Classic Needles®) | Device | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Cachexia Acupuncture-A
- description
- Acupuncture-A group will receive acupuncture in a pre-determined set of the acupuncture points that are selected based on the potential mechanisms of cachexia. Intervention will be done by a licensed acupuncturist who has over 5 years of experience as an independent clinician and has experience particularly in the management of cancer related symptoms. Acupuncture treatment will consist of 8 sessions over 8 week period. Acupuncture needles: Single-use, sterile stainless steel and disposable \[acupuncture needles-Peace Classic Needles®, Acu-Market\] Other name: Mechanism based acupuncture
- interventionNames
- Device: Cachexia Acupuncture-A (Peace Classic Needles® )
- type
- SHAM_COMPARATOR
- label
- General Acupuncture-B
- description
- General Acupuncture-B group will receive acupuncture in a pre-determined set of the acupuncture points. These points are the real acupuncture points; however, these points are not specific to cachexia management. Participants will receive the acupuncture treatment over 8 weeks (total of 8 sessions) in the same manner as the experimental group; the only difference will be the place(type) and number of points targeted. Acupuncture needles: single-use, sterile stainless steel and disposable needles \[Peace Classic Needles®, Acu-Market\] Other name: General acupuncture
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 21 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * 21 year or older * medical diagnosis of gastrointestinal cancer (for example, gastric, biliary, or colorectal) * experienced weight loss of at least 5% over the last 6 months * ability to communicate in English * ability to follow the research protocol Exclusion Criteria: * plan to have surgical procedures at the time of recruitment * receive radiation therapy alone or in addition to chemotherapy during the study period * undergo surgery during the study or in the months prior to the study * no plan to have chemotherapy after the surgery * any comorbidities that may affect the interpretation of study findings * open burn sites or infected wounds * esophageal cancer or pancreatic cancer * life expectancy of less than 6 months as assessed by attending physician
References
Publications (1)
- DERIVEDYoon SL, Grundmann O, Williams JJ, Gordan L, George TJ Jr. Body composition changes differ by gender in stomach, colorectal, and biliary cancer patients with cachexia: Results from a pilot study. Cancer Med. 2018 Aug;7(8):3695-3703. doi: 10.1002/cam4.1665. Epub 2018 Jul 3. PMID 29971962