Auricular acupressure: reducing side effects of chemotherapy in women with ovarian cancer.

PURPOSE: Many women with ovarian cancer may experience adverse effects from adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery. Non-pharmacological interventions can be used to reduce these side effects. We tested auricular acupressure to reduce treatment side effects in this population. METHODS: A prospective, quasi-randomized controlled trial was carried out at a publicly-funded hospital in southern Taiwan. Thirty-four women in the intervention group received auricular acupressure at four points (Shenmen, subcortex, endocrine, and heart), three times per day for 3 min per time, for 6 weeks. Thirty-one women in the control group received routine nursing care alone. The M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI) was completed at four time points. RESULTS: After receiving the third cycle of chemotherapy, side effect severity was elevated among both groups. Auricular acupressure reduced side effects such as disturbed sleep (t = - 11.99; p < .001, eta squared = 0.69), fatigue (t = - 2.57; p < .01, eta squared = 0.10), and lack of appetite (t = - 2.37; p = .024, eta squared = 0.08). CONCLUSION: Auricular acupressure can reduce adverse side effects of chemotherapy in women with ovarian cancer. Future studies with a larger sample and using some laboratory-based tests (such as C-reactive protein, interleukin-6) are warranted to confirm the results.