Clinical trial · Interventional
Modafinil in Cancer Related Fatigue
Randomized Controlled Study to Evaluate the Effects of Modafinil in Cancer Related Fatigue in Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy
- 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)
Cancer related fatigue (CRF) is a highly prevalent and highly significant entity among patients with cancer. 'Cancer related fatigue' is not a simple symptom, but is an entity in itself, in that it is different from routine fatigue. Cancer related fatigue is that fatigue which persists even after rest and has significant effects on quality of life. The incidence of Cancer Related Fatigue (CRF) increases during radiation therapy (RT), with almost every patient on radiotherapy complaining of at-least some magnitude of fatigue. Given that fatigue can affect treatment adherence by patients, it is important to initiate measures to either prevent or mitigate Cancer Related Fatigue. The investigators intend to use modafinil in cancer related fatigue, in view of the fact that it has safety and efficacy in other diseases such as narcolepsy, multiple sclerosis and fibromyalgia. In addition, there have been a few small trials which have hinted towards benefit with the use of modafinil in cancer related fatigue. The investigators have chosen a dose of 100mg/day in the morning, to be compared with placebo. The study arm and the placebo arm will be stratified with respect to age, sex, disease site, baseline performance status. Primary outcome would be fatigue, which will be assessed by the use of Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI). Secondary outcomes include Quality of Life, improvements in performance status, changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and changes in weight.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer Related Fatigue | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Quality of Life | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modafinil | Drug | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Pyridoxine | Drug | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- ACTIVE_COMPARATOR
- label
- Arm M
- description
- Will be treated with Tab Modafinil (generic) 100mg Once a Day in the Morning starting from Day 1 of RT till the first follow-up.
- interventionNames
- Drug: Modafinil
- type
- PLACEBO_COMPARATOR
- label
- Arm P
- description
- Will be given placebo (Tab Pyridoxine 10mg) which physically resembles Tab Modafinil 100mg.
- interventionNames
- Drug: Pyridoxine
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- Reduction in Cancer Related Fatigue
- timeFrame
- Baseline and 12 weeks
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
- Maximum age
- 70 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients with pathological confirmation of cancer * Age 18 years to 70 years * Performance status (Karnofsky scale) not less than 60 * Providing consent Exclusion Criteria: * Psychiatric illness * Hypertension * Diabetes * Thyroid disorders * Epilepsy * Tuberculosis
References
Publications (5)
- RESULTSpathis A, Dhillan R, Booden D, Forbes K, Vrotsou K, Fife K. Modafinil for the treatment of fatigue in lung cancer: a pilot study. Palliat Med. 2009 Jun;23(4):325-31. doi: 10.1177/0269216309102614. Epub 2009 Mar 6. PMID 19270033
- RESULTCooper MR, Bird HM, Steinberg M. Efficacy and safety of modafinil in the treatment of cancer-related fatigue. Ann Pharmacother. 2009 Apr;43(4):721-5. doi: 10.1345/aph.1L532. Epub 2009 Mar 24. PMID 19318599
- RESULTBlackhall L, Petroni G, Shu J, Baum L, Farace E. A pilot study evaluating the safety and efficacy of modafinal for cancer-related fatigue. J Palliat Med. 2009 May;12(5):433-9. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2008.0230. PMID 19416039
- RESULTWirz S, Nadstawek J, Kuhn KU, Vater S, Junker U, Wartenberg HC. [Modafinil for the treatment of cancer-related fatigue : an intervention study]. Schmerz. 2010 Dec;24(6):587-95. doi: 10.1007/s00482-010-0987-y. German. PMID 21046171
- RESULTJean-Pierre P, Morrow GR, Roscoe JA, Heckler C, Mohile S, Janelsins M, Peppone L, Hemstad A, Esparaz BT, Hopkins JO. A phase 3 randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, clinical trial of the effect of modafinil on cancer-related fatigue among 631 patients receiving chemotherapy: a University of Rochester Cancer Center Community Clinical Oncology Program Research base study. Cancer. 2010 Jul 15;116(14):3513-20. doi: 10.1002/cncr.25083. PMID 20564068