Spots Global Cancer Trial Database for A Pilot Study of Acupuncture Treatment for Dysphagia

Study Description

Brief Summary: The current standard of care for advanced HNC is concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CRT), which has led to increased survival rates, but with significant acute and long-term toxicities. Dysphagia, or difficulty with swallowing, is a common and expected side effect during and following CRT. Dysphagia occurs in up to 50% of patients and significantly impairs the quality of life (QOL) of patients during delivery of and recovery from CRT. Clinical trials evaluating promising and innovative adjunctive approaches that could increase the rate and magnitude of recovery from dysphagia in HNC patients are needed. Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medical technique that has been found to reduce symptoms and side effects associated with primary cancer therapy. This study evaluated the feasibility of conducting a randomized sham-controlled trial and collected preliminary data on safety and efficacy of acupuncture.

Detailed Description: AIMS: Aim 1. To assess the feasibility of recruiting and retaining HNC patients with dysphagia into a randomized sham-controlled trial of acupuncture. Aim 2. To collect preliminary data on the efficacy of acupuncture in changing scores of HRQOL in post CRT head and neck cancer patients. Aim 3. (Exploratory) In a subset of HNC subjects treated with both active and sham acupuncture, to collect objective measures on swallowing functions using Videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS); salivary flow production; and plasma Transforming Growth Factor (TGF)-β1, Interleukin 6 (IL-6), Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and Interleukin 13 levels.

Keywords

Eligibility

Minimum Age: 18 Years

Eligible Ages: ADULT, OLDER_ADULT

Sex: ALL

Healthy Volunteers: No

Locations

Contact Details

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