Clinical trial · Interventional
Acupuncture For Pancreatic Cancer Pain
Acupuncture For Pancreatic Cancer Pain: A Randomized Phase III Study
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
Pain is a common problem in patients with pancreatic cancer. Some patients suffer from pain despite medication. We, the researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, are conducting a Phase III study to determine the effects of acupuncture on pain in patients with pancreatic cancer. The purpose of a Phase III study is to determine whether or not a treatment is helpful. This study will include about 60 patients. Acupuncture is the insertion of very fine needles into the skin to treat symptoms. In recent years, researchers have found evidence that acupuncture is useful in treating a variety of conditions, including headache, nausea, and pain.
Conditions
Conditions (2)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pain | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Pancreatic Neoplasms | Pancreatic Neoplasm | ONTOLOGY_EXACT | 0.98 |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acupuncture | Procedure | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (0)
[]Primary outcomes (2)
- measure
- To determine whether acupuncture reduces pain in pancreatic cancer patients more effectively than placebo
- measure
- To determine the duration of acupuncture effects
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 0 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. * First baseline current pain score of 3 or above on a 0 - 10 numerical rating scale. * In the opinion of the treating physician or a medically qualified investigator, the patient's pain syndrome is the result of underlying cancer. * Patient OR caregiver must be willing and able to apply pressure to each point using small circular movements with the fingers twice per day. Exclusion Criteria: * Primary cause of pain is procedural (e.g. postoperative pain). * Acupuncture treatment in the past six weeks. Patients should not receive acupuncture during the one week period of the study. * Neutropenia defined as absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \<1000/microliter. * Cardiac conditions constituting high or moderate risk of endocarditis as defined by the American Heart Association criteria. * Patient contraindicated for phlebotomy, as phlebotomy needles are much larger than acupuncture needles.
References
Publications (0)
Data not yet available