Acupuncture for the Treatment of Chronic Lymphedema

NCT ID: NCT01003951

Last Updated: 2012-08-16

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

PHASE2

Total Enrollment

37 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2009-10-31

Study Completion Date

2012-08-31

Brief Summary

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Lymphedema is an accumulation of lymphatic fluid in the tissues that causes swelling, most often in the arms and/or legs, and occasionally in other parts of the body. Lymphedema can occur when lymph vessels are damaged or lymph nodes are removed. Lymphedema can develop right after breast cancer treatment or weeks, months, or even years later. For many people, available treatments for lymphedema are not effective. Recent evidence suggests that acupuncture may help reduce the symptoms of lymphedema. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of acupuncture on chronic lymphedema. This study will look further at whether acupuncture can reduce lymphedema and help us to understand immune changes that may be associated with improvements in lymphedema.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Breast Cancer Lymphedema

Keywords

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Lymphedema Acupuncture 09-136

Study Design

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Allocation Method

NA

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Acupuncture

Each patient will receive two acupuncture treatments each week for four consecutive weeks. At the end of four weeks, the intervention will be complete.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Acupuncture

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Acupuncture treatments will be given at the Integrative Medicine Outpatient Center, if needed in particular cases, at the MSKCC Breast Center. Each treatment is 30-40 minutes in duration. Each patient will receive two acupuncture treatments each week for four consecutive weeks.

Before and after each treatment, the circumference of the patient's upper arm, and forearm will be measured in both the affected and unaffected arms. The greater difference between affected and unaffected arms (either the forearm or the upper arm) for each patient will be used for outcome assessment. Photographs of the patient's affected and unaffected arms before and after each treatment will be taken to provide visual documentation of status. The patient's face will not appear in the photographs. Blood draws will be performed from the unaffected arm in serum collection tubes and will be performed within 1 week of starting acupuncture and within 1 week of completion of the 4 week protocol.

Interventions

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Acupuncture

Acupuncture treatments will be given at the Integrative Medicine Outpatient Center, if needed in particular cases, at the MSKCC Breast Center. Each treatment is 30-40 minutes in duration. Each patient will receive two acupuncture treatments each week for four consecutive weeks.

Before and after each treatment, the circumference of the patient's upper arm, and forearm will be measured in both the affected and unaffected arms. The greater difference between affected and unaffected arms (either the forearm or the upper arm) for each patient will be used for outcome assessment. Photographs of the patient's affected and unaffected arms before and after each treatment will be taken to provide visual documentation of status. The patient's face will not appear in the photographs. Blood draws will be performed from the unaffected arm in serum collection tubes and will be performed within 1 week of starting acupuncture and within 1 week of completion of the 4 week protocol.

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Women age 18 or older willing to sign consent.
* Lymphedema in an arm as a result of surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy for breast cancer per Breast surgeon or medical oncologist.
* Patients must have received a clinical diagnosis of lymphedema for at least 6 months and no more than 5 years after diagnosis of chronic lymphedema.
* The affected arm must be \>2cm larger than the unaffected arm; this is the standard diagnosis and the one used in the MSKCC studies cited above. The standard measurement techniques will be applied 20.

Exclusion Criteria

* Previous acupuncture treatment for lymphedema
* Diuretic use
* History of primary (congenital) lymphedema
* Metastatic cancer
* History of autoimmune disorder (including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis)
* History of other fibroproliferative disorder including cirrhosis, pulmonary fibrosis, kidney fibrosis, systemic sclerosis/scleroderma
* Current treatment with corticosteroids
* Treatment with myelosuppressive or stimulatory drugs within 6 months of enrollment
* History of bone marrow transplantation
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Barrie Cassileth, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Locations

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Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

New York, New York, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Cassileth BR, Van Zee KJ, Yeung KS, Coleton MI, Cohen S, Chan YH, Vickers AJ, Sjoberg DD, Hudis CA. Acupuncture in the treatment of upper-limb lymphedema: results of a pilot study. Cancer. 2013 Jul 1;119(13):2455-61. doi: 10.1002/cncr.28093. Epub 2013 Apr 10.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 23576267 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

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http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/44.cfm

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Other Identifiers

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09-136

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id