Trial of Self-Applied Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

November 3, 2026 updated by: Marlon Wong, University of Miami

Single-Arm Bayesian Phase II Trial of Self-Applied Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

This purpose of this study is to evaluate whether transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) improves chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) symptoms by assessing changes in daily symptom trajectories following treatment initiation. The study will also examine potential mechanisms of action through longitudinal assessment of inflammatory biomarkers, corticospinal excitability, and autonomic nervous system function.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

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.

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 (Estimated)

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.
55

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Florida
      • Miami, Florida, United States, 33136
        • Christine E Lynn Rehabilitation Center
        • Contact:
        • Contact:

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 to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Age 18-80 years
  2. Prior exposure to platinum, taxane, or vinca alkaloid chemotherapy
  3. Glove/stocking dysesthesias ≥3 months that began after neurotoxic chemotherapy
  4. Worst CIPN-related symptom ≥4/10 over the last week

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Unstable cardiac disease/Known arrhythmias
  2. Head or neck cancer or metastases
  3. Recent ear trauma or active dermatologic disease at the stimulation site
  4. <2 months since completion of cancer treatment or surgery (i.e, tumor resection, radiation therapy, and/or taxane/platinum/vinca alkaloid chemotherapy treatments. Maintenance therapies, including hormonal therapy or Poly (ADP-ribose) Polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, are allowed and not part of exclusion criteria. Patients may have pending reconstructive surgeries planned as long as it is planned outside of the study participation window.)
  5. Metal implants in the head or neck (e.g., cochlear implant)
  6. Implanted electronic or magnetic devices (e.g., pacemaker, medication pumps, other implanted neurostimulation systems)
  7. Known allergy to tape/adhesives
  8. History of seizure/epilepsy, intracranial pathology, or other neurological condition associated with increased seizure risk
  9. Pregnancy or actively breast feeding

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group 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: Auricular Vagus Nerve (AVNS) Group

Participants in this group will receive a 2-week course of daily self-applied transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS). Participants will use a portable taVNS device at home once daily for 14 consecutive days, applying stimulation to the auricular vagus nerve according to standardized instructions provided by the study team. Each stimulation session will last approximately 60 minutes.
Device: Sparrow Link (taVNS)

Participants will self-administer transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) using the Sparrow Link portable stimulator and flexible ear electrodes for 1 hour daily for 14 days (total stimulation time: 14 hours).The treatment stimulation intensity can be increased up to 5mA, but this will be adjusted for each participant to ensure it is below the pain threshold.

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
Change in Daily Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Symptom Severity Measured by Numeric Rating Scale (NRS)
Time Frame: Baseline (Days -14 to 0), Treatment period (Day 1-14)

Participants will complete a daily electronic diary rating the severity of their most bothersome chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) symptom (pain, numbness/tingling, burning, pressing/squeezing, or electric shocks) during the previous 24 hours using an 11-point Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), where 0 = no symptoms and 10 = worst imaginable symptoms. The primary analysis evaluates symptom trajectories using daily observations collected during the baseline and treatment periods.
Baseline (Days -14 to 0), Treatment period (Day 1-14)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire - Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy 20 (EORTC QLQ-CIPN20)
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0), Day 15, and Day 45 follow-up

The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy 20 (EORTC QLQ-CIPN20) is a validated 20-item questionnaire that assesses sensory, motor, and autonomic neuropathy symptoms. Responses are transformed to 0-100 subscale scores, with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity.
Baseline (Day 0), Day 15, and Day 45 follow-up

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 Miami

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Gabrielle's Angel Foundation for Cancer Research

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Marlon L Wong, PT, PhD, University of Miami

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 (Estimated)

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.
January 1, 2027

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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 30, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
December 30, 2029

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).
November 3, 2026

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.
November 3, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

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.
November 9, 2026

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 9, 2026

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 3, 2026

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, 2026

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.
  • 20260819

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

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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