Beikmoradi, A., Najafi, F., Roshanaei, G., Pour Esmaeil, Z., Khatibian, M., & Ahmadi, A. (2015). Acupressure and anxiety in cancer patients. Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal, 17, e25919.

To investigate the effects of acupressure on anxiety in patients with cancer

Patients were randomly assigned to acupressure, sham acupressure, or control groups. Control group patients received usual care. The acupressure group had pressure applied at nine points for two minutes each by a research assistant. Sham acupressure was also given at nine different points on the body. Patients received 10 sessions of sham or actual acupressure. Study measures were obtained at baseline, after session 5, and after session 10.

• N = 85
• MEAN AGE = 48 years
• MALES: 54.1%, FEMALES: 45.9%
• KEY DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: 51% had stage 4 disease
• OTHER KEY SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS: The majority had prior surgery and chemotherapy

• SITE: Single site  
• SETTING TYPE: Inpatient  
• LOCATION: Iran

Double-blinded, sham-controlled, randomized trial

• Spielberger State/Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)

Mean anxiety scores in the acupressure group declined over the three study measurement periods (p = 0.001). Anxiety scores in the sham group also declined somewhat. Anxiety levels in the control group increased over time. An analysis of variance showed that acupressure was associated with a significant reduction in state anxiety scores and a significant difference in comparison to the control group patients (p < 0.0001). There was no significant difference between acupressure and sham acupressure changes.

Both sham and actual acupressure were associated with reductions in anxiety scores.

• Small sample (< 100)
• Other limitations/explanation: The timing of postintervention anxiety measurements were not clear, but it appears this was done immediately after the sham or acupressure interventions. The actual clinical relevance of an immediate short-term change is not clear.

The findings of this study suggest that acupressure may be of some benefit in the short-term management of anxiety among patients with cancer. The findings regarding the effects of sham acupressure suggest there may be a placebo effect involved. Additional well-designed research would be helpful to demonstrate the role of acupressure in the management of anxiety.