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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06322615

Acupressure for Reducing Anxiety in Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

This clinical trial evaluates whether acupressure is helpful to reduce anxiety related to chemotherapy. Anxiety is experienced by many patients with cancer. Anxiety 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-medicinal ways to manage symptoms. Acupressure is a noninvasive intervention that can be used for many different symptoms. Acupressure is well tolerated with minimal reports of adverse reactions, making it a good choice for patients with cancer. This study may help researchers learn whether acupressure is useful for managing anxiety in patients undergoing chemotherapy.

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Key information

Conditions

Hematopoietic and Lymphatic System Neoplasm Malignant Solid Neoplasm

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

Rochester, Minnesota, 55905, United States

About this study

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Evaluate the feasibility of a nurse- and patient-applied acupressure intervention for patients with anxiety associated with active cancer-directed therapy.

II. Patient-reported changes in acute anxiety associated with both the nurse and self-led acupressure interventions will be ascertained.

OUTLINE:

Patients undergo acupressure over 15-120 seconds at a time for up to 15 minutes. After completion of the session, patients may optionally receive an education session on using acupressure at home.

After completion of study intervention, patients who opted to receive education about using acupressure at home are followed up at 1 week.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Be over 18 years of age
  • Be actively undergoing chemotherapy in the Mayo Clinic chemotherapy unit
  • Report anxiety as a 1 or higher, on a scale from 0 (no anxiety) to 4 (severe anxiety)
  • Be willing to undergo a short acupressure session

Exclusion criteria

  • Does not meet the inclusion criteria

Treatment and study plan

acupressure therapy

Procedure

Undergo acupressure

Other names: Acupressure, Ischemic Compression

Educational Intervention

Other

Receive education session about using acupressure at home

Other names: Education for Intervention, Intervention by Education, Intervention through Education, Intervention, Educational

Electronic Health Record Review

Other

Ancillary studies

Questionnaire Administration

Other

Ancillary studies

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of patients approached about undergoing acupressure intervention (Feasibility)

    Time frame: Up to 1 year

    Assessed by the number of patients approached about undergoing acupressure intervention.

  2. Number of patients interested in the initial acupressure intervention in the chemotherapy unit (Feasibility)

    Time frame: Up to 1 year

    Assessed by the number of patients who express interest in the initial acupressure intervention in the chemotherapy unit.

  3. Number of patients interested in the home acupressure intervention (Feasibility)

    Time frame: Up to 1 year

    Assessed by the number of patients who express interest in the home acupressure intervention.

  4. Time taken for each nurse-led acupressure intervention in the chemotherapy unit (Feasibility)

    Time frame: Up to 1 year

    Assess by the time recorded for ach nurse-led acupressure intervention in the chemotherapy unit.

  5. Patient-reported changes in acute anxiety

    Time frame: At baseline, after a one-time nurse-administered acupressure session, and after one week of self-administered acupressure sessions

    Assessed with a brief anxiety questionnaire that inquires about the three different domains of anxiety: cognitive symptoms, emotional symptoms, and physical symptoms. Seven questions are answered using 11-point (0-10) scales with different values assigned to the scale per question (e.g. 0=no anxiety/10=worst possible anxiety or 0=strongly disagree/10=strongly agree).

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Mayo Clinic

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Acupressure for Anxiety: A Pilot Study of a Nurse-Led Acupressure Intervention for Patients Receiving Chemotherapy

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Mar 21, 2024
Registry last updated
Oct 29, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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