Wisconsin Ginseng for Decreasing Cancer Related Fatigue

Phase III Study of Ginseng for Cancer Related Fatigue

This phase III trial compares the effect of Wisconsin ginseng (panax quinquefolius) to placebo in patients with cancer that suffer from significant fatigue. Fatigue is among the most challenging symptoms to manage in patients with cancer, both on or off active treatment. This symptom complex meaningfully contributes to psychosocial distress, healthcare costs, and it also interferes with the delivery of anticancer therapies. American ginseng (Western ginseng) appears to be a promising appearing agent for treating cancer related fatigue. Western ginseng may reduce cancer-related fatigue.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Malignant Solid Neoplasm
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Questionnaire Administration; Drug: Placebo Administration; Dietary supplement: American Ginseng

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To determine the efficacy of ginseng as assessed by a single item measure of fatigue at 8 weeks.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To estimate changes in fatigue via the single item measure of fatigue from baseline to week 4, the Global Impression of Change at week 4 and 8, and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue Scale (FACIT-Fatigue) at week 4 and 8.

II. To evaluate the frequency and severity of toxicity as reported by the patient on the Ginseng Symptom Experience Diary where patients rate (on a 0 to 10 scale) their toxicities experienced while on study.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 groups.

GROUP I: Patients receive Western ginseng orally (PO) twice daily (BID) on days 1-56.

GROUP II: Patients receive placebo PO BID on days 1-56.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 160
• Phase: Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Clinical Trials Referral Office; Phone Number: 855-776-0015; Email: mayocliniccancerstudies@mayo.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Minnesota
    • Albert Lea, Minnesota, United States, 56007
      • Recruiting
      • Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea
      • Principal Investigator: Mina Hanna, MD
      • Contact: Clinical Trials Referral Office; Phone Number: 855-776-0015; Email: mayocliniccancerstudies@mayo.edu
      • Contact: Danielle Mutschler; Phone Number: 507-377-4817; Email: Mutschler.Danielle@mayo.edu
    • Bemidji, Minnesota, United States, 56601
      • Recruiting
      • Sanford Joe Lueken Cancer Center
      • Contact: Jarrett Failing, MD; Phone Number: 612-624-2620; Email: ccinfo@umn.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Jarrett Failing, MD
    • Brainerd, Minnesota, United States, 56401
      • Recruiting
      • Essentia Health Saint Joseph's Medical Center
      • Principal Investigator: Bret Friday, MD
      • Contact: Bret Friday, MD; Phone Number: 612-624-2620; Email: ccinfo@umn.edu
    • Deer River, Minnesota, United States, 56636
      • Recruiting
      • Essentia Health Deer River Clinic
      • Principal Investigator: Bret Friday, MD
      • Contact: Bret Friday, MD; Phone Number: 612-624-2620; Email: ccinfo@umn.edu
    • Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, United States, 56501
      • Recruiting
      • Essentia Health St. Mary's Detroit Lakes Clinic
      • Principal Investigator: Bret Friday, MD
      • Contact: Bret Friday, MD; Phone Number: 612-624-2620; Email: ccinfo@umn.edu
    • Duluth, Minnesota, United States, 55805
      • Recruiting
      • Essentia Health Cancer Center
      • Principal Investigator: Bret Friday, MD
      • Contact: Bret Friday, MD; Phone Number: 218-786-3625; Email: ccinfo@umn.edu
    • Fosston, Minnesota, United States, 56542
      • Recruiting
      • Essentia Health Fosston
      • Contact: Bret Friday, MD; Phone Number: 612-624-2620; Email: ccinfo@umn.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Bret 1 Friday, MD
    • Hibbing, Minnesota, United States, 55746
      • Recruiting
      • Essentia Health Hibbing Clinic
      • Principal Investigator: Bret Friday, MD
      • Contact: Bret Friday, MD; Phone Number: 612-624-2620; Email: ccinfo@umn.edu
    • Mankato, Minnesota, United States, 56001
      • Recruiting
      • Mayo Clinic Health System-Mankato
      • Contact: Clinical Trials Referral Office; Phone Number: 855-776-0015; Email: mayocliniccancerstudies@mayo.edu
      • Contact: Jenna Ziegler; Phone Number: 507-594-7479; Email: Ziegler.Jenna@mayo.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Stephan Thome, MD
    • Monticello, Minnesota, United States, 55362
      • Completed
      • MMCORC CentraCare Monticello Cancer Center
    • Rochester, Minnesota, United States, 55905
      • Recruiting
      • Mayo Clinic in Rochester
      • Principal Investigator: Stacy D. D'Andre, M.D.
      • Contact: Clinical Trials Referral Office; Phone Number: 855-776-0015; Email: mayocliniccancerstudies@mayo.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Daniel S. Childs, M.D.
    • Sandstone, Minnesota, United States, 55072
      • Recruiting
      • Essentia Health Sandstone
      • Principal Investigator: Bret Friday, MD
      • Contact: Bret Friday, MD; Phone Number: 612-624-2620; Email: ccinfo@umn.edu
    • Thief River Falls, Minnesota, United States, 56701
      • Recruiting
      • Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center
      • Contact: Amit Panwalkar, MD; Phone Number: 612-624-2620; Email: ccinfo@umn.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Amit Panwalkar, MD
    • Virginia, Minnesota, United States, 55792
      • Recruiting
      • Essentia Health Virginia Clinic
      • Principal Investigator: Bret Friday, MD
      • Contact: Bret Friday, MD; Phone Number: 612-624-2620; Email: ccinfo@umn.edu
    • Worthington, Minnesota, United States, 56187
      • Recruiting
      • Sanford Worthington Medical Center
      • Contact: Jonathan Bleeker, MD; Email: jonathan.bleeker@sanfordhealth.org
      • Principal Investigator: Jonathan Bleeker, MD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age ≥ 18 years
• Has received or is receiving treatment for a solid-organ malignancy (not hematologic)
• History of cancer-related fatigue as defined by an average score ≥ 4 over the past 30 days on the numeric analogue scale. Patients can answer questions orally rather than completing worksheet
• Baseline control of insomnia: Insomnia ≤ 4 on Linear Analogue Scale. Patients can answer questions orally rather than completing worksheet
• Baseline control of pain: Pain ≤ 4 on Linear Analogue Scale. Patients can answer questions orally rather than completing worksheet
• Life expectancy ≥ 6 months
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) 0, 1 or 2
• Hemoglobin ≥ 10.0 g/dL (patients must not have been transfused in the preceding 90 days to meet this criterion) (≤ 180 days prior to registration)
• Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate transaminase (AST) ≤ 3 x upper limit normal (ULN) (≤ 180 days prior to registration)
• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 x ULN (≤ 180 days prior to registration)
• No clinical suspicion of hypothyroidism within 180 days prior to registration [if clinical suspicion of hypothyroidism exists, a documented thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) < 5 milli-international units per liter (mIU/L) is required]
• Negative pregnancy test done ≤ 7 days prior to registration, for persons of childbearing potential only
• Ability to complete questionnaire(s) by themselves or with assistance
• Provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any known hypersensitivity to ginseng
• Currently using any other pharmacologic agents to specifically treat fatigue including psychostimulants or antidepressants. Note: Antidepressants used to treat items other than fatigue (such as hot flashes or depression) are allowed if the patient has been on a stable dose for ≥ 30 days and plan to continue such for 8 weeks. Exercise is allowed
• Psychiatric disorder such as poorly controlled depression, manic depressive disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, or schizophrenia (defined per medical history)
• Use of erythropoietic agents ≤ 6 months
• Uncontrolled hypertension on more than three occasions (diastolic blood pressure ≥ 100, systolic ≥ 160) measured ≤ 180 days prior to randomization
• Surgery that required general anesthetic ≤ 30 days prior to randomization
• Malnutrition, active infection, severe depression, or significant pulmonary disease and cardiovascular disease (as determined by the attending clinician), as they could impact fatigue
• Use of any over the counter herbal/dietary supplement marketed for fatigue or energy (for example, products containing any type of ginseng, Rhodiola rosea, guarana, or anything called an "adaptogen")
• Currently using an antidiabetic drug, warfarin or monamine oxide inhibitor
• Treating provider anticipates a change to the anti-cancer treatment program in the next 8 weeks (i.e., the intervention period)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Group I (Western ginseng); Patients receive Western ginseng PO BID on days 1-56. Treatment continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.	Other: Questionnaire Administration; Ancillary studies; Dietary supplement: American Ginseng; Given PO; Other Names: Ginseng; Ginseng Root; Panax quinquifolius
Placebo Comparator: Group II (placebo); Patients receive placebo PO BID on days 1-56. Treatment continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.	Other: Questionnaire Administration; Ancillary studies; Drug: Placebo Administration; Given PO

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in fatigue	Will be measured by the Linear Analog Scale for Fatigue, a single-item questionnaire rating fatigue over the pats week on a scale of 0-10 where 0=no fatigue at all and 10=fatigue as bad as it can be.	Baseline to 8 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in fatigue	Will be measured by the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy- Fatigue (FACIT-Fatigue) Scale, which consists of 13 questions answered on a scale of 0-4 where 0=not at all and 4=very much.	Baseline, 4 and 8 weeks
Percentage of patients who perceive moderate to very much better fatigue	Will be measured by the Global Impression of Change, which consists of 3 questions answered on a scale of -3 (very much worse) to 3 (very much better), one question as to whether the participants thought they were receiving the intervention (ginseng) or placebo, and one question related to satisfaction with the effect of the treatment on their fatigue (yes/no).	At 8 weeks
Incidence of adverse events	Will be measured by the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) and/or the Ginseng Symptom Experience Diary and compared between arms.	Up to 8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Mayo Clinic
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Daniel S. Childs, MD, Mayo Clinic in Rochester

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• Mayo Clinic Clinical Trials

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): November 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): November 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 29, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 29, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): May 2, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 30, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 26, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms; Asian ginseng
• Other Study ID Numbers: MC231004 (Mayo Clinic in Rochester); 23-012122 (Other Identifier: Mayo Clinic Institutional Review Board); MNCCTN037 (Other Identifier: MN Cancer Clinical Trials Network)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No