Acupuncture Treatment of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Women

Acupuncture Treatment of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Women With Breast or Gynecologic Cancers: Mechanisms of Action and Feasibility

This pilot study aims to evaluate the feasibility to conduct a study of acupuncture treatment (AT) for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN) at Huntsman Cancer Institute and to investigate changes in physiological biomarkers when using acupuncture to treat CIPN.

Study Overview

• Status: Terminated
• Conditions: Gynecologic Cancer; Breast Cancer Female; Chemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neuropathy
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Acupuncture

Detailed Description

This pilot feasibility study aims to determine if conducting a trial of AT for CIPN is feasible at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI). The investigators aim to enroll and retain twenty participants who will undergo fMRI during the baseline visit, receive 10 sessions of AT, and undergo fMRI after completion of AT. The investigators will examine fMRI for potential neurologic mechanisms of action of AT in CIPN management. The ultimate objective of this pilot project is to lay the foundation for a future randomized controlled clinical trial of AT for CIPN. Specifically, the investigators will be able to demonstrate that the investigators have the team and location in place to conduct a successful trial.

The participant will receive 10 acupuncture treatments over the course of 8 weeks with a baseline fMRI done prior to receiving acupuncture treatments and a final fMRI done after the completion of acupuncture treatments. Participant will receive questionnaires before fMRI, acupuncture treatments following final fMRI and at a 3 month follow up time point. (See below for more detail.)

1.1 Primary Objectives and Endpoints

To evaluate the feasibility to conduct a trial of AT for CIPN + standard of care therapy. Primary feasibility objectives will be evaluated in terms of recruitment (enrollment of 20 women, average of 2 eligible women per month to participate in the trial, identification of appropriate recruitment strategies, the appropriateness of eligibility criteria), retention (70% or more participants comply with 8 or more AT sessions and complete both fMRI scans), safety (zero serious adverse events directly related to AT) and questionnaire completion (70% or more enrolled participants comply with all data collection).

1.1.1 Primary outcome measures: Mean enrollment, completion rate of AT, fMRI, rate of serious adverse events, rate of questionnaire completion.

1.2 Secondary Objectives and Endpoints To evaluate the impact of AT on the reported experience of CIPN. 1.2.1 To evaluate central pain processing and cortical connectivity in patients with CIPN treated by acupuncture by analyzing fMRI of all participants.

1.2.2 To evaluate if there is any change in patient-reported measures from before AT to after study completion.

This study will enroll female patients who have completed treatment with paclitaxel or docetaxel at least three months prior. Paclitaxel and docetaxel are neurotoxic chemotherapies known to cause CIPN. Patients must have experienced at least one month of altered sensation and/or pain with a score of greater than or equal to 20 for CIPN on the sensory subscale of the CIPN-20. The investigators will commence recruitment 3 months after patients have completed their last paclitaxel or docetaxel dose. Patients will be recruited from the Huntsman Cancer Center Oncology Clinics in collaboration with their oncologists.

For this study, enrollment will be limited to patients with breast, ovarian, cervical, endometrial, or uterine cancer with CIPN and completed paclitaxel or docetaxel treatments.

Visits:

Screening Visit:

Potentially eligible subjects will be scheduled for a screening visit. After informed consent is obtained, the Study Coordinator (SC) will review and confirm inclusion/exclusion criteria. The SC will take a brief medical and neurological history and administer the CIPN-20 questionnaire. If all inclusion and exclusion criteria are fulfilled, the subject will proceed to baseline visit. This visit may occur on the same day as screening, but must occur within 2 weeks of study screening visit.

Baseline Visit:

Patients diagnosed with breast, ovarian, cervical, endometrial, or uterine cancer who were treated with paclitaxel or docetaxel chemotherapy associated with CIPN will undergo a number of questionnaires/exam scales designed to assess neuropathic symptoms and the effect of neuropathy on quality of life. The patient will then be enrolled in the study and scheduled in the Wellness Center for acupuncture therapy (AT). All participants will be scheduled for fMRI , which must occur within nine days after baseline.

Participants will undergo study interview and fMRI within 9 days after baseline following enrollment.

Demographic data and clinical data including current medications and medical history and fall rates will be gathered during the baseline visit. Questionnaires (BPI, CIPN-20, CIPN- Rasch-built Overall Disability Scale (R-ODS), MAIA-2) will be completed in person or emailed to patients via REDCap at baseline. Reminder calls and AT appointments will be scheduled by HCI Wellness and Integrative Health Center personnel in conjunction with a SC. The SC will aid participants in scheduling fMRI appointments online. AT treatments will occur within 7 days/4 business days in general.

Follow up Visits:

Participants will receive 10 sessions of AT: twice per week for 2 weeks, thereafter once per week for six weeks, with a total of 10 treatments during a two-month course. Each session will last 45-60 minutes, with acupuncture needles retained 30-40 minutes. A minimum of 8 treatments must be received by each participant with no more than 9 days' gap between weekly treatments permitted (sessions 5-10). Concurrent medications are allowed as prescribed and will be tracked in the study and analyzed as potential confounders.

Final Visit:

Participants will undergo examination within one week of AT completion. This will include the fMRI scan and questionnaires. Compensation for participation will be offered following the completion of questionnaires.

Measures:

Questionnaires will be completed in person or emailed to patients via REDCap at baseline and study conclusion, as well as at a 3-month follow-up. Primary Endpoints: Mean enrollment, percentage completion rate of all study procedures, frequency count of serious adverse events, and percentage of enrolled participants completing questionnaires will be calculated. Data will be collected via REDCap and analyzed with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).

Additional measures to be collected: CIPN-20: This measure includes questions about tingling, numbness, painful numbness, cramps, balance, temperature intolerance, grasping items, ankle flexion weakness and leg weakness. CIPN-R-ODS (a validated measure of quality of life specific to CIPN), will be used to assess impact on function, BPI to assess pain and Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA-2) to assess mind-body awareness. The investigators will also collect demographic information including age, marital status, race and ethnicity, current medications and medical history.

Acupuncture therapy (AT): AT will be delivered onsite at HCI in the Linda B. and Robert B. Wiggins Wellness & Integrative Health Center. AT will be delivered twice per week for two weeks and then weekly for six weeks by Annie Budhathoki, Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM), a Licensed Acupuncturist who has over five years' clinical experience treating persons with cancer, or another Licensed Acupuncturist in the Wellness & Integrative Health Center. Each session will last 45-60 minutes, with acupuncture needles retained 30-40 minutes. A minimum of 8 treatments must be received by each participant with no more than 9 days' gap between weekly treatments permitted (sessions 5-10). .

Functional MRI (fMRI) to be conducted within 9 days after baseline and within 1 week of final AT session. fMRI scans will be conducted at Imaging and Neuroscience Center (INC) in Research Park. Imaging will consist of structural brain imaging (MP2RAGE), task fMRI, and resting-state fMRI connectivity. Task fMRI will consist of a mental imagery task with a 20-second block design wherein patients will alternate between concentration on a part of their body where they experience pain and a part of their body where they do not experience pain, prompted by visual cues. The investigators will provide gift cards for $25 after the completion of the second fMRI and questionnaires associated with this visit.

Clinical evaluations: Demographic data, clinical data including current medications and medical history and fall rates will be gathered.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 3
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Utah
    • Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, 84112
      • Huntsman Cancer Institute

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 14 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Female age 18 or older.

• Histologically proven breast, uterine, cervical or ovarian cancer of any stage.
• Received either (1) a Paclitaxel treatment dose of at least 480 mg/m2 paclitaxel as a single or combination agent or (2) a Docetaxel treatment dose of at least 150 mg/m2 docetaxel as a single or combination agent. Treatment must be completed at least 3 months prior to enrollment.
• Eligible participants report at least 1 month of altered sensation and/or pain in the feet (with or without presence in one or both hands) with a score of greater than or equal to 20 for CIPN on the sensory subscale of the CIPN-20 (scale 0-100).
• Able to provide informed consent and willing to sign an approved consent form that conforms to federal and institutional guidelines.
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) status of 0 (asymptomatic), 1 (symptomatic but completely ambulatory) or 2 (symptomatic, <50% in bed during the day).

Exclusion Criteria:

• Preexisting neuropathy due to other identified etiologies includes diabetes, vitamin B12 deficiency, or alcoholism.
• Having received more than 6 acupuncture treatments for any condition in the last six months.
• Participants with claustrophobia, pacemakers, non-MRI compatible breast expanders or port-a-caths, neurostimulator devices, current pregnancy, exposure to shrapnel, left-handedness, or otherwise unsafe for MRI scanning.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Acupuncture Treatment; All participants receive 10 acupuncture treatments over the course of 8 weeks.

Device: Acupuncture; The manualized acupuncture treatment (AT) intervention will be designed by Dr. Budhathoki and Dr. Taylor-Swanson and administered by Dr. Budhathoki and members of Huntsman acupuncture team. Ten sessions of AT will be delivered: twice per week for 2 weeks, thereafter once per week for six weeks, with a total of 9 treatments during a two-month course. Each session will last 45-60 minutes, with acupuncture needles retained 30-40 minutes. A minimum of 8 treatments must be received by each participant with no more than 9 days' gap between treatments permitted. Concurrent medications are allowed as prescribed and will be tracked in the study and analyzed as potential confounders. Participants in the study will undergo study interview and fMRI at the following two time points: within 9 days after baseline following enrollment and within one week of acupuncture treatment completion.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Mean Monthly Enrollment	We calculated the mean number of participants who enrolled per month while the study was open to accrual.	7 Months
Number of Participants Compliant With Treatment	Participant retention was defined as the number of participants who attended at least 8 out of 10 AT sessions and completed both fMRI scans	7 Months
Number of Participants Who Experience Serious Adverse Events Related to AT Sessions	A serious adverse event is any undesirable experience associated with the participation in this study in a participant that results in death, life-threatening conditions, hospitalization, disability or permanent damage or birth defect.	7 Months
Number of Participants Who Completed Questionnaires	Participants who completed all questionnaires, which were administered at baseline and at 3 months post-treatment.	7 Months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Functional Connectivity of Central Pain Networks on fMRI (Z-scores)	Connectivity changes were evaluated using resting-state fMRI at baseline and post-treatment. Independent component analysis was used to identify networks, and statistical thresholds were applied to define significant changes. Z-scores represent standard deviations from the mean of a normative reference population, with positive values indicating increased connectivity and negative values indicating decreased connectivity.	9 weeks
Change in Participant-reported Symptoms From Before AT to After Study Completion	Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ) - Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN) 20 (QLQ-CIPN-20) questionnaire is administered to participants at baseline (BL) and at 3 months post-treatment (approximately 22 weeks total between time points). Mean difference between BL and 3 Month Questionnaire scores will be calculated. Only participants who have completed all questionnaires will be evaluated. The 20-item questionnaire is scored using a four-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 4 (very much), and evaluates sensory (9 items), motor (8 items), and autonomic (3 items for men, 2 items for women) symptom subscales. Items from each subscale are summed, then linearly converted to a 0-100 scale. The three subscale scores are averaged to obtain a total score, with the final score range being 0-100. For raw and scaled scores, higher scores indicate more symptoms of peripheral neuropathy.	22 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Participant Reported Symptoms 3 Months Post Treatment	Quality of Life Questionnaire-Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy 20 (QLQ-CIPN-20) questionnaire is administered to participants at baseline (BL) and at 3 months post-treatment (approximately 22 weeks total between time points). This outcome reports mean participant scores at 3 months post treatment. Only participants who have completed all questionnaires will be evaluated. The 20-item questionnaire is scored using a four-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 4 (very much), and evaluates sensory (9 items), motor (8 items), and autonomic (3 items for men, 2 items for women) symptom subscales. Items from each subscale are summed, then linearly converted to a 0-100 scale. The three subscale scores are averaged to obtain a total score, with the final score range being 0-100. For raw and scaled scores, higher scores indicate more symptoms of peripheral neuropathy.	22 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Utah
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Lisa J Taylor-Swanson, PhD LAc, Associate Professor of College of Nursing, Licensed Acupunturist

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 5, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 12, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): August 12, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 21, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 21, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): August 26, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 6, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 19, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: breast cancer; paclitaxel; gynecologic cancer; chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Neuromuscular Diseases; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases
• Other Study ID Numbers: 107709

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.: Yes