Auricular acupressure for nausea and vomiting in breast cancer: Feasibility outcomes from a Phase II trial with embedded qualitative insights

Auricular acupressure for nausea and vomiting in breast cancer: Feasibility outcomes from a Phase II trial with embedded qualitative insights

Introduction: Auricular acupressure (AA) has been a popular complementary health approach for managing cancer-related symptoms, including chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in breast cancer (BC) patients. Despite its growing use, clinical evidence regarding the feasibility and acceptability of AA remains limited and not yet fully established. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of using an evidence-based AA intervention for managing CINV in BC patients.

Methods: This paper reports the feasibility outcomes from a Phase II randomised controlled trial (RCT) with embedded qualitative insights. The clinical trial equally assigned 114 participants to a true AA, placebo AA, or standard care group. Patient-reported outcomes were assessed using the MASCC Antiemesis Tool (MAT), the Index of Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching (INVR), and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B). Study feasibility was evaluated through recruitment, implementation, outcome assessment, intervention feasibility and safety, and participants’ satisfaction. Upon RCT completion, semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore participants’ experiences with the RCT and the intervention.

Results: The RCT achieved a high completion with 110 participants. Most participants adhered strictly to the 5-day AA protocol. AA-related adverse events were mild and transient. Participants found the complementary healthcare approaches convenient and safe, reporting that the study questionnaires were easy to complete and effectively captured CINV symptoms using MAT. Most participants supported AA's benefits in managing CINV.

Conclusion: The RCT procedures for using AA to manage CINV in BC patients were feasible, with satisfactory recruitment and retention rates, good questionnaire acceptability, and adherence to the protocol. Qualitative findings enhanced understanding of RCT feasibility and protocol acceptability from patients' perspectives. Findings from the Phase II RCT and qualitative interviews supported AA as a safe and convenient intervention for a future Phase III RCT to evaluate its definite effects on CINV in BC patients.

Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrial.Gov (NCT02403037).