The Efficacy of Acupuncture as a Complementary Treatment for Pain and Anxiety After Breast Cancer Surgery

NCT ID: NCT04608175

Last Updated: 2020-10-29

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

UNKNOWN

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

40 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2020-11-30

Study Completion Date

2023-03-31

Brief Summary

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Background: Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide. Fortunately, survival has improved in recent years thanks to its early detection and curative treatments such as mastectomy. However, this medical procedure is associated with a range of unwanted effects such as postoperative pain and anxiety. Some studies have reported that acupuncture could be an effective treatment to control these types of symptoms, although only few studies have been conducted on women undergoing mastectomy.

Methods: This is a pragmatic randomized controlled trial with blind assessors. The study will be conducted in the Breast Unit of Hospital Universitario Sagrado Corazon of Barcelona (Spain). A sample of 40 women will be recruited and randomized to receive acupuncture treatment in addition to standard care procedures, or standard care procedures alone. The main outcome, pain, will be assessed after the surgical intervention and 4, 10 and 30 days later using the numerical rating scale. Secondary outcomes include anxiety, use of analgesics, nausea, adverse effects, and surgical complications.

Discussion: Acupuncture is a low-cost non-pharmacological strategy. This study will help to clarify its possible role in controlling post-mastectomy adverse effects.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Acupuncture Therapy Breast Neoplasms

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Investigators Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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Acupuncture group

The experimental group will receive the standard treatment administered in these cases (analgesic regimen and nursing care procedures), in addition to the following acupuncture therapy.

In the first visit (preoperative), the anamnesis and energy diagnosis of each patient will be carried out following the practices of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to design a personalized treatment based on the patient's medical history. A treatment of approximately 10 to 12 acupuncture points will be designed considering the TCM diagnosis and medical history of each patient. Both TCM diagnosis and the points used will be reassessed in each session. The points belonging to the upper extremity of the affected breast will be treated on the contralateral side, taking care not to insert any needle in the limb on the affected side. No points in the operated region will be used.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Acupuncture

Intervention Type OTHER

Treatment of disease by inserting needles along specific pathways or meridians. The placement varies with the disease being treated. It is sometimes used in conjunction with heat, moxibustion, acupressure, or electric stimulation.

Control group

The control group will only receive standard care procedures (analgesic regimen and nursing care procedures), although they will have the same follow up visits as the patients in the intervention group to facilitate analysis of the study variables.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Acupuncture

Treatment of disease by inserting needles along specific pathways or meridians. The placement varies with the disease being treated. It is sometimes used in conjunction with heat, moxibustion, acupressure, or electric stimulation.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Diagnosis of breast cancer
* Primary breast cancer patient
* Candidate for breast cancer surgery (mastectomy)
* Aged between 20 and 70 years old
* Consenting to participate in the study and signing the informed consent form.

Exclusion Criteria

* Have a previous history of breast cancer
* Have a previous diagnosis of a severe psychiatric disorder
* Present risk factors associated with breast cancer
* Do not speak Spanish or Catalan
* Are currently participating in another trial.
Minimum Eligible Age

20 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

70 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Hospital Quiron Sagrado Corazon

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University Ramon Llull

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Central Contacts

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Carles Fernández, Phusical Terapist

Role: CONTACT

0034651503494

Other Identifiers

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2019/59-FIS-HUSC

Identifier Type: OTHER

Identifier Source: secondary_id

001

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id