An N-of-1 Study of Homeopathic Treatment of Fatigue in Patients Receiving Chemotherapy

January 26, 2016 updated by: The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine

Fatigue is frequently identified as one of the most troublesome symptoms in cancer patients and there are very few conventional therapies which can address the symptom of fatigue in patients who are undergoing cancer treatment.

This study will be testing whether the administration of a complementary therapy (individualized homeopathy) to a patient undergoing chemotherapy treatment is feasible and whether this treatment can lessen the fatigue symptoms of adults. The study will also test whether the n-of-1 study design is feasible in this population.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This is an n-of-1 pilot trial of individualized homeopathic treatment of fatigue in a single adult who is undergoing any type of chemotherapy administered intermittently (i.e. not continuously). The participant will have a homeopathic consultation within 3 days of a round of chemotherapy ("treatment period") and will be administered either verum or placebo according to a binary randomization allocation sequence unknown to both the clinician and participant. During the subsequent treatment period the participant will be given the other allocation (verum or placebo). The following pairs of allocations will also be randomized with treatment continuing for as long as the participant is undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

1

Phase

  • Phase 2
  • 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

  • Canada
    • Ontario
      • Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1Y2E5
        • Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre

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

14 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosed with any type of cancer. Patient may have newly diagnosed, relapsed or a second malignant disease.
  • Receiving any type of cytotoxic chemotherapy with 6 or more cycles post study enrollment administered intermittently every two or three weeks with no planned radiation treatment.
  • Is experiencing fatigue due to the chemotherapy treatments. (or has a score of 2 or higher on the fatigue item of the Symptom Distress Scale)
  • Above 18 years of age.
  • Able to ingest medications in lactose/sucrose globule or liquid form.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Previous history of allergy to the homeopathic products.
  • Pregnant or lactating

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: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Homeopathic medicine
The study medication will be administered in one of two forms: (1) 3.5 mm diameter lactose/sucrose globule to be administered sublingually; or (2) 3.5 mm diameter lactose/sucrose globule dissolved in 250 ml spring water and administered orally. The medication will be administered as either 1 globule sublingual or 5 mL oral remedy/water up to 3 times per day. The dosage regimen is varialble at the discretion of the study clinician.
Other: Homeopathic medicine
Intervention must begin within 5 days of chemotherapy cycle completion. Intervention will continue until the next cycle of chemotherapy. The initial consultation will involve a verbal interview between the homeopath and the participant. The practitioner will then choose a single homeopathic remedy that will focus on the reduction of fatigue. Only one homeopathic remedy and potency will be administered at a given time. The participant will be asked to take the study medication at least 30 minutes before or after taking other medications, food and strong smelling substances.
Placebo Comparator: Unmedicated lactose/sucrose globule
The placebo will be administered in one of two forms: (1) 3.5 mm diameter lactose/sucrose globule to be administered sublingually; or (2) 3.5 mm diameter lactose/sucrose globule dissolved in 250 ml spring water and administered orally. The medication will be administered as either 1 globule sublingual or 5 mL oral remedy/water up to 3 times per day. The dosage regimen is varialble at the discretion of the study clinician.
Other: Unmedicated lactose/sucrose globule

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI)
Time Frame: 7 days
The Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI) is a 20-item, multi-dimensional, self-report instrument designed to measure fatigue. It covers the following 5 dimensions: 1) General Fatigue, 2) Physical Fatigue, 3) Mental Fatigue, 4) Reduced Motivation and 5) Reduced Activity.
7 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
EORTC-QLQ-C30
Time Frame: 7 days
The EORTC QLQ-C30 is a 30-item multi-dimensional questionnaire developed to assess the quality of life of cancer patients in the following four domains: functional scales; symptom scales; global quality of life; and single items.
7 days

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine

Collaborators

Canadian CAM Research Fund
Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Dugald Seely, ND, Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine

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

December 1, 2013

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2015

Study Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 7, 2013

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 13, 2013

First Posted (Estimate)

November 14, 2013

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

January 27, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 26, 2016

Last Verified

January 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 194318

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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