Acupuncture in Reducing the Severity of Chemoradiation-induced Mucositis in Patients With Oropharyngeal Cancer (GCC1229)

November 5, 2019 updated by: University of Maryland, Baltimore

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy and Explore the Mechanism of Acupuncture in Reducing the Severity of Chemoradiation-induced Mucositis in Patients With Oropharyngeal Cancer.

Patients are asked to be in this study if have oropharyngeal cancer and will be treated with chemotherapy and radiation.

This research is being done to find out if acupuncture can reduce the mouth inflammation and pain caused by chemotherapy and radiation. Chemoradiation may cause mouth inflammation and pain.

Acupuncture is a medical technique of inserting very thin needles into the "energy points" on the body with the aim to restore health and well-being. It has been used widely to treat pain, such as lower back pain and joint pain. In this study we will assess the potential usefulness of acupuncture to decrease the severity of mucositis and mucositis-related mouth and throat pain in patients receiving chemoradiation for oropharyngeal cancer.

Mouth cancer patients receiving chemoradiation who have not had acupuncture within the last one month and who do not have a history of head and neck cancer may join this pilot study.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Terminated

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This is a single-center, randomized controlled pilot clinical trial (n=20) assessing the efficacy, feasibility and safety of acupuncture in reducing the severity of chemoradiation-induced oral mucositis (CRIOM) in patients with oropharyngeal cancer. Participants will be randomized to receive either usual medical care or acupuncture treatment plus usual medical care once a week for 8 weeks coinciding with their chemoradiation treatments. The length of the study will be 16 weeks: 8 weeks of treatment and two follow up visits at 4 weeks and 8 weeks after radiation (weeks 12 and 16). All subjects will receive usual medical care in addition to the study intervention. The Oral Mucositis Daily Questionnaire for Head and Neck Cancer patients (OMDQ) will be used to assess patients' self-reported chemoradiation-induced mucositis severity at baseline (before 1st acupuncture session), and daily throughout the course of radiation, as well as at the 12 and 16 week follow up visits. At baseline, weekly during radiation therapy, and at the 12 and 16 week follow up appointments, patients will complete the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT-G), Esophagus Cancer subscale (ESC) QOL, and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT)-Fatigue subscale questionnaires. Oral mucositis will also be assessed objectively by a trained member of the research team using both the Oral Mucositis Assessment Scale (OMAS) and the National Cancer Institute- Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI-CTCAE) v3.0 measurement scale once a week for the first two weeks of chemoradiation treatment, then twice a week during weeks three through seven, and additionally once during week 8 and once at the 12 and 16 week follow up visits. Twice weekly measurements correspond to peak severity of mucositis during weeks three to seven, based on previous reports in the literature. Patients will be given a weekly diary to record oral analgesic intake. Lastly, 8 milliliters of blood and a saliva sample will be taken from the subjects at baseline (before 1st acupuncture session), weekly through radiation treatment, and at the week 12 and 16 follow up visits to measure changes in proinflammatory cytokines concentrations.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
4

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Maryland
      • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21201
        • University of Maryland Marlene & Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Documented diagnosis of oropharyngeal cancer.
  • The patient plans on undergoing external beam radiation with concomitant chemotherapy.
  • Eastern Cooperative Group in Oncology (ECOG) performance status 0-3.
  • Men and women who are ≥ 18 years old
  • The patient is aware of the nature of his or her diagnosis, understands the study regimen, its requirements, risks, and discomforts, and is able and willing to sign an informed consent form.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Previous history of head and neck cancer.
  • Prior acupuncture within the past month.
  • Pre-existing active oral infection
  • Life expectancy is < 3 months.
  • Plan to go on experimental drug for head and neck cancer in the next 14 weeks.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Acupuncture with Seirin® needles
Participants will be randomized to receive acupuncture treatment plus usual medical care once a week for 8 weeks coinciding with their chemoradiation treatments. The length of the study will be 16 weeks: 8 weeks of treatment and two follow up visits at 4 weeks and 8 weeks after radiation (weeks 12 and 16).
Device: Acupuncture with Seirin® needles
Participants will be randomized to receive either usual medical care or acupuncture treatment plus usual medical care once a week for 8 weeks coinciding with their chemoradiation treatments. The length of the study will be 16 weeks: 8 weeks of treatment and two follow up visits at 4 weeks and 8 weeks after radiation (weeks 12 and 16).
Other: Usual medical care
usual medical care such as viscous Lidocaine for relief of pain
Active Comparator: Usual medical care
Participants will be randomized to receive usual medical care for 8 weeks coinciding with their chemoradiation treatments. Patients will receive usual medical care such as viscous Lidocaine for relief of pain.
Other: Usual medical care
usual medical care such as viscous Lidocaine for relief of pain

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Side Effects of Acupuncture Treatment
Time Frame: 16 weeks
All acupuncture side effects will be recorded
16 weeks
Number of Patients Completing Acupuncture Treatment
Time Frame: 16 weeks
Feasibility is defined as greater than 80% patients in the trial completing at least 4 acupuncture sessions.
16 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Maryland, Baltimore

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 1, 2012

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2014

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
February 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 13, 2013

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 19, 2013

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 21, 2013

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 7, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 5, 2019

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • HP-00053319
  • GCC1229 (Other Identifier: University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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