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

Clinical Snapshot

Key Findings

• P Value: Not reported for between-group comparisons

• Effect Size: Mean reduction 0.30 points per session for overall sample

• Primary Outcome: Both groups showed substantial decrease in dysgeusia over time with no between-group differences

• Nnt Or Sensitivity: Cannot be calculated due to lack of between-group differences

• Confidence Interval: 95% CI -0.43 to -0.18 for overall dysgeusia reduction

Clinical Application

Requires trained acupuncturists and patient commitment to 8-week treatment program Acupuncture available through some private health funds; not PBS subsidised; would require referral to qualified practitioners registered with AHPRA Cancer patients receiving chemotherapy with dysgeusia and fatigue

Abstract

PURPOSE: The 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. METHODS: This 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). RESULTS: Since 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. CONCLUSIONS: Exploratory 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.

References

1. 1.Huber, C., Barth, J., Bührer, L., Driessen, C., Held, U., Müller, T., Roll, S., Schlaeppi, M., Thomae, A. V., Voiß, P., Zhang, L., & Witt, C. M. (2026). Acupuncture for chemotherapy-induced dysgeusia (AcuDysg): a randomized controlled trial. Supportive Care in Cancer. https://doi.org/10.1177/01945998211018386