Acupuncture in Colorectal Neoplasms - Clinical Trials Registry

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Colorectal Neoplasms

Intervention / Treatment

Procedure: Acupuncture

Detailed Description

End-stage colorectal cancer is associated with physical and psychological symptoms that negatively affect patients' quality of life (QOL). Nonpharmacological interventions that promote relaxation and reduce psychological distress are associated with a reduction of pain suggesting that psychological distress and anxiety may mediate the relationship between symptom severity and QOL. Pilot data from a sample of 28 end-stage cancer patients supports the mediational role of psychological distress in the symptom severity - QOL relationship. The results indicated that the mere presence or absence of a physical symptom is not related to patient QOL. Rather, greater symptom severity was associated with significantly poorer QOL, and when the effects of psychological distress were controlled, the relationships between symptom severity and QOL were no longer significant. The proposed research focuses on psychological distress as an underlying mechanism of physical symptom severity among EOL cancer patients and a non-traditional approach (acupuncture) to relieving distress and symptom severity. Acupuncture has been used successfully with end-of-life populations (EOL) to reduce pain and shortness of breath [4]. Patients with psychological distress report the greatest benefit from acupuncture. Rather than using acupuncture to treat pain and discomfort, the proposed research will evaluate acupuncture that targets acupoints associated with anxiety and emotional well-being. One hundred seventy patients with metastatic colorectal cancer will be recruited for the study through the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI).

Participating patients will be randomized into one of three conditions: 1) a "true" acupuncture condition, 2) a "sham" acupuncture condition, and 3) a usual care control group. Assessment procedures will gather demographic, QOL, physical and psychological symptomatology, medication use, and salivary cortisol data. Randomization will occur after baseline assessment, and participants randomized to one of the two intervention conditions will receive acupuncture treatments three times a week for four weeks. Follow-up assessments will occur weekly for four weeks following the intervention. The proposed study will 1) test the efficacy of an acupuncture intervention in reducing psychological distress and physical symptom severity and 2) examine acupuncture's role in regulating stress responses associated with hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA) activity. Findings from this study will 1) promote our understanding of psychological distress as a mechanism of physical symptom distress, and 2) promote the integration of Eastern healing philosophies (acupuncture) with the Western medical model (stress-related HPA activation).

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

105

Phase

Phase 1

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
- Pennsylvania
  - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15213
    - University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Cancer Institute

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion criteria:

Advanced colon cancer that has not responded to two rounds of chemotherapy
Speak, read, write English
Live within a 50 mile radius of Pittsburgh, PA
Not taking any steroid medication
A platelet count of 75,000 or greater
Never had acupuncture before

Exclusion Criteria:

Allergy to stainless steal
Implanted pacemaker
Current skin infection
Needle phobia
Metastatic disease to the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord)

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: Randomized
Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: Single

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

Investigators

Principal Investigator: Ellen Redinbaugh, PhD, University of Pittsburgh

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

June 1, 2002

Study Completion

August 1, 2006

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 19, 2002

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria