The ACURE Trial: Acupuncture for Colorectal Recovery

Starting soon · Not applicable · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Colorectal Neoplasms, Ileus Postoperative, Postoperative Complication, Gastrointestinal Motility

In brief

Purpose: The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether electroacupuncture (EA) can accelerate the recovery of bowel function in patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery for colorectal cancer. Main Questions to be Answered: Does electroacupuncture reduce the time to the first bowel movement after surgery compared to standard care or a "sham" (placebo) treatment? Can electroacupuncture improve overall gastrointestinal tolerance and reduce postoperative discomfort? Study Design: Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: Electroacupuncture Group: Receives active electrical stimulation at specific acupuncture points. Sham Acupuncture Group: Receives superficial needling at non-treatment points with no electrical current to serve as a placebo. Standard Care Group: Receives standard hospital recovery protocols (ERAS) without acupuncture. All treatments will consist of four 30-minute sessions: one before surgery and three on the days following the procedure. Researchers will compare the three groups to see if the electroacupuncture group experiences a faster return of digestive function.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07496528

Run by

Chang Gung Memorial Hospital

People needed

240

Starts

2026-04-01

Expected to finish

2029-05-31

Last updated by the study team

2026-04-06

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 80. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Histologically confirmed colorectal cancer requiring scheduled curative-intent resection.
• Age between 18 and 79 years, inclusive.
• Ability to understand the study protocol and provide written informed consent.
• American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification of I, II, or III.

You may not qualify if…

• Pregnant or breastfeeding women.
• History of major abdominal surgery within the past 4 weeks.
• Receipt of chemotherapy or radiotherapy within the past 6 months.
• History of organ transplantation with rejection episodes within the past 30 days.
• Presence of active infection (e.g., tuberculosis, sepsis, peritonitis).
• Positive for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or HIV with an uncontrolled viral load.
• Severe malnutrition, defined as a Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS 2002) score ≥ 3.
• History of total colectomy or requirement for ileorectal anastomosis.
• Requirement for multivisceral resection due to tumor invasion.
• Scheduled for prophylactic stoma creation.
• Moderate to severe cognitive impairment, epilepsy, or uncontrolled neurological disorders.
• Active psychiatric illness (e.g., bipolar disorder, schizophrenia) that may interfere with study compliance.
• Severe cardiopulmonary insufficiency (e.g., New York Heart Association [NYHA] class IV heart failure or requirement for long-term oxygen therapy).
• Presence of open wounds, skin infections, or known allergies at or near the designated acupuncture sites.
• History of adverse reactions to acupuncture, including syncope (fainting) or needle phobia.
• Participation in another clinical trial within the past 6 months.
• Anticipated inability to complete the study protocol due to physical, psychological, or logistical reasons.

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.