ClinicalTrials.gg
Status unknownNCT02107417CIPNUpdated Feb 15, 2016

Study of TENS in Reducing Symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy Induced by Chemotherapy

An interventional study of active TENS and placebo TENS in Peripheral Neuropathy, Pain and Paresthesia, sponsored by University of Sao Paulo General Hospital. Status unknown at 1 site in Brazil. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2016-02-15.

Primary conditionNeuritisRegistry: Peripheral Nervous System DiseasesReclassifiedWhy we changed it
Registry
Peripheral Nervous System Diseases — the first condition term the registry derived for this study.
ClinicalTrials.gg
Neuritis
Why
  1. The study's listed conditions name Neuritis, a narrower term within Peripheral Nervous System Diseases.
Confidence
High: the new condition is named in the study's own listed conditions. Of 351 hand-checked studies reclassified this way, 68% were exactly right and 84% in the right disease family; the registry's first term was right for 5% (measured 2026-10-21). How we classify →
Wrong?
Tell us the study's main condition →

Sponsored by University of Sao Paulo General Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care

The sponsor has not verified this record recently (last verified Feb 2016), so the status shown — last known as Recruiting — may be out of date.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
64
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This study aims to investigate the effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) in reducing the symptoms of pain and numbness and improve the daily lives of cancer patients who have Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN).

Read the detailed description

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) results from damage or dysfunction of the peripheral nerves and is one of the most common side effects of antineoplastic chemotherapy when neurotoxic drugs are used. Pain and paresthesia symptoms are prevalent, causing chronic discomfort and loss of functional abilities whilst also interfering negatively with quality of life and the patient's autonomy. In a pilot study of patients with CIPN, there was evidence that Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) improved the painful symptoms of patients with CIPN. This study aims to investigate the effects of TENS in reducing the symptoms of pain and numbness and improve the daily lives of cancer patients who have CIPN.

  1. Primary Objectives Evaluate the effects of TENS in the reduction of symptoms related to peripheral neuropathy due to chemotherapy treatment of a high and moderate neurotoxic potential in cancer patients.

Secondary Objectives:

  • Evaluate the therapeutic response of TENS with frequency variation (FV) in symptoms of paresthesia
  • Evaluate the therapeutic response of TENS with frequency variation (FV) in activities of the daily lives of patients
  • Evaluate the therapeutic response of TENS with frequency variation (FV) in symptoms of neuropathic pain.
  • Evaluate the factors associated with better treatment response in paresthesia, in pain and activities of daily living.

Eligibility criteria: The participants of the research will include patients with any cancer diagnosis who are being subjected to chemotherapy in either adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy, containing in its protocol at least one chemotherapeutic drug of moderate and high neurotoxic potential.

The participants of the research will receive TENS within the following parameters: VF mode TENS with a variable frequency between 7 Hz and 65 Hz. It has a pulse width of 200 µs, this is the highest tolerable intensity while still remaining comfortable for the patient. It has an application time of 60 minutes with the highest tolerable intensity, while still remaining comfortable for the patient. The treatment will be given on the same day as the chemotherapy, and will be given from home within 3 cycles. The participants will be divided into 2 groups: Experimental Group (EG) who will be administering the active TENS and the Control Group (CG) who will be administering the placebo TENS. The evaluation of the effects will be measured through the following instruments: Classification of neuropathy by the CTCAE (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events) version 4.02 2009, scale of functionality ECOG, the Questionnaire of Neurotoxicity Induced by Antineoplastics (QNIA) for the evaluation of the symptoms of CIPN, and the Analogue Visual Scale (AVS) to assess the symptoms of pain and paresthesia. The error α is estimated at 5%.

02

Conditions studied

  • Peripheral Neuropathy
  • Pain
  • Paresthesia
  • Neuritis

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Keywords

  • chemotherapy
  • pain
  • paresthesia
  • Physiotherapy
  • Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation
03

In context

Neuritis Reclassified

73 studies on the registry are indexed under Neuritis; 20 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 64 is above the median of 48 across 51 interventional studies indexed under Neuritis.

Browse Neuritis studies →

Lead sponsor

University of Sao Paulo General Hospital is the lead sponsor of 611 studies on the registry; 98 are open to participants now.

Of its 8 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 0 (0%) have results posted.

Compared within Neuritis, this study's primary condition as ClinicalTrials.gg classifies it; the registry's first condition term is Peripheral Nervous System Diseases. The counts are of registry records indexed under each term, refreshed daily. How we classify →

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

    • Patients who are being subjected to chemotherapeutic treatment with drugs or association of drugs with high and moderate neurotoxic degree and who present neuropathic pain and / or peripheral sensory neuropathy grade I and II of the scale (Appendix A).
  • Patients showing symptoms of peripheral neuropathy in the first cycle of chemotherapeutic treatment with three points on the visual analogue scale of pain and paresthesia.
  • Patients aged between 18 and 70 years.
  • Patients without Diabetes Mellitus before and during chemotherapy treatment.
  • Patients who have not undergone previous chemotherapy regimens with neurotoxic drugs.
  • Patients with performance status ≤ 2 ( ≥ 50%).
  • Patients that do not have a cardiac pacemaker.
  • Patients without changes in sensitivity prior to chemotherapy.
  • Patients without skin lesions at the site or around the site of application of the electrodes.
  • Patients without cognitive and comprehension difficulties.
  • Agree to participate in the study by signing the Free and Clarified Term of Consent- FCTC

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients who have already undergone chemotherapy previously with drugs or have had association with neurotoxic drugs which have presented neuropathic pain and/or sensory peripheral neuropathy.
  • Patients who have previously had acupuncture for the treatment of neuropathic pain and/or sensory peripheral neuropathy.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(3)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

CTCAE grade

The US National Cancer Institute’s scale of how severe an adverse event is — any unwanted medical event during a study, such as a symptom, an illness or an abnormal test result, whether or not a treatment caused it. Whether it did is judged separately.

1
Mild.
2
Moderate.
3
Severe.
4
Life-threatening.
5
Death due to the event.

“Side effects of earlier treatment resolved to grade 1 or less” means they have settled to mild or gone.

ECOG performance status

A scale of how much an illness limits everyday activity. For people being assessed to join a study, scores run from 0 (fully active) to 4; lower is more active.

0
Fully active, no restrictions.
1
Limited in strenuous activity, but walking and able to do light work, such as housework or office work.
2
Walking and able to look after yourself, but unable to work; up and about more than half of waking hours.
3
Able to look after yourself only in part; in bed or a chair more than half of waking hours.
4
Unable to look after yourself at all; in bed or a chair all day.

Studies most often ask for 0–1 or 0–2. Your doctor gives the score; the WHO scale uses the same steps. The full scale also has 5, which records death.

Karnofsky performance status (KPS)

A 0–100 scale of how well someone can carry out everyday activities. 100 is no complaints and no signs of illness; 70 is able to look after yourself but not to work or keep up normal activity; 50 is needing considerable help and frequent medical care.

Studies often ask for 60 or 70 and above. Your doctor gives the score.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Participant, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
64 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Experimental Group (EG) - TENS active

    Experimental Group (EG) - TENS active: who will receive the application of active TENS. The participants of these group will receive TENS active within the following parameters: VF mode TENS with a variable frequency between 7 Hz and 65 Hz. It has a pulse width of 200 µs, this is the highest tolerable intensity while still remaining comfortable for the patient. It has an application time of 60 minutes with the highest tolerable intensity, while still remaining comfortable for the patient.

    Device: active TENS

  • Sham comparator
    Control Group (CG)- Placebo TENS

    Control Group (CG) who will be administering the placebo TENS.The participants of these group will receive TENS within the following parameters: VF mode TENS with a variable frequency between 7 Hz and 65 Hz. It has a pulse width of 200 µs, . It has an application time of 60 minutes The TENS-placebo will be applied where no current will be emitted.

    Device: placebo TENS

Interventions

  • Deviceactive TENS

    Experimental Group (EG) who will receive the application of active TENS. The participants of these group will receive TENS within the following parameters: VF mode TENS with a variable frequency between 7 Hz and 65 Hz. It has a pulse width of 200 µs, this is the highest tolerable intensity while still remaining comfortable for the patient. It has an application time of 60 minutes with the highest tolerable intensity, while still remaining comfortable for the patient.

    Also known as: Experimental Group (EG)- active TENS

  • Deviceplacebo TENS

    who will be administering the placebo TENS.The participants of these group will receive TENS within the following parameters: VF mode TENS with a variable frequency between 7 Hz and 65 Hz. It has a pulse width of 200 µs, this is the highest tolerable intensity while still remaining comfortable for the patient. It has an application time of 60 minutes The TENS-placebo will be applied where no current will be emitted. Patients in the placebo group will only feel the tingling for 45 seconds and after this period the device will not emit impulses, but it will work for 1 hour.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Evaluate the effects of TENS in the reduction of symptoms related to peripheral neuropathy due to chemotherapy treatment of a high and moderate neurotoxic potential in cancer patients.

    Time frame: At each chemotherapeutic cycle, for the duration of three cycles (approximately 9 weeks).

Secondary outcomes

  1. Evaluate the therapeutic response of TENS in symptoms of paresthesia

    Time frame: At each chemotherapeutic cycle, for the duration of three cycles (approximately 9 weeks).

  2. Evaluate the therapeutic response of TENS in activities of the daily lives of patients.

    Time frame: At each chemotherapeutic cycle, for the duration of three cycles (approximately 9 weeks).

  3. Evaluate the therapeutic response of TENS in symptoms of neuropathic pain.

    Time frame: At each chemotherapeutic cycle, for the duration of three cycles (approximately 9 weeks).

  4. Evaluate the factors associated with better treatment response in paresthesia, in pain and activities of daily living.

    Time frame: At each chemotherapeutic cycle, for the duration of three cycles (approximately 9 weeks).

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Instituto do Câncer de São Paulo
    São Paulo, Brazil
    Recruiting
    • Raquel Ap Casarotto, PhD · Contactracasaro@usp.br · 55-11-30917451
    • Tania Tonezzer, Post-GS · Contactttonezzer@usp.br · 55-11-971010062
    • Raquel Ap Casarotto · Principal investigator
08

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
Not marked actual or estimatedDates not marked actual or estimated

The record gives a start of Jun 2014, a primary completion of Dec 2015 and a completion of Dec 2017. It does not say whether these dates are actual or estimated.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Apr 1, 2014
First posted
Apr 8, 2014
Start
Jun 2014
Primary completionActual
Dec 2015
CompletionEst.
Dec 2017
Last update
Feb 15, 2016
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Feb 15, 2016, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02107417
Collaborators
Instituto Nacional de Cancer, Brazil, Instituto do Cancer do Estado de São Paulo, Hospital de Câncer de Barretos, Centro de Estudos e Pesquisas Oncológicas (CEPO), Centro de Oncologia do Hospital Universitário São Francisco
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Apr 8, 2014
Start date
Jun 2014
Primary completion
Dec 2015
Completion
Dec 2017 (estimated)
Last update
Feb 15, 2016

Study contacts

Raquel Ap Casarotto, PhD
Contact
racasaro@usp.br
55 1130917451
Tania Tonezzer, Post-GS
Contact
ttonezzer@uol.com.br
55 11 971010062
Tania Tonezzer, B.S
principal investigator · Post-Graduation Student of Rehabilitation Science Program from Department of Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, São Paulo University, São Paulo, Brazil.

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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