PEACE: Comparing Chronic Pain Treatment Options

The purpose of this study is to compare two types of acupuncture with usual care on treating chronic pain. This study has three groups. Two groups will received acupuncture. One group will receive usual standard of care for 12 weeks and then will receive acupuncture. Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese technique of using very thin needles inserted in the skin to treat different symptoms and illness, and to promote healing. Each group will undergo a different method of needle administration.

Active, Not Recruiting

This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

Key information

Conditions

Chronic Pain Agnosia Fibromyalgia Muscular Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal Pain Nervous System Diseases Neurobehavioral Manifestations Neurologic Manifestations Neuromuscular Diseases Pain Pain Management Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Perceptual Disorders Rheumatic Diseases Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Memorial Sloan Kettering Basking Ridge, Basking Ridge, New Jersey, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

English speaking
Age >/= 18 years or older
Having musculoskeletal pain, defined as regional (joints, extremities, back, neck) or more generalized (fibromyalgia or chronic widespread pain)
Having a pain rating of 4 or greater in worst pain on a 1-10 numerical rating scale in the preceding week (Patients with a neuropathic component to their pain that involves the extremities or back will be eligible)
Having had pain for at least 3 months and at least 15 days with pain in the preceding 30 days
A diagnosis of cancer with no restrictions placed on type of cancer, other than that patients with metastatic disease will be excluded. Eligibility criteria are not restricted to MSK confirmed biopsy/diagnosis. Participating institution's testing is sufficient for other study sites.
Complete active treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiotherapy) at least one month prior to study initiation (patients on continued hormone treatment will not be excluded).

Exclusion criteria

Have non-musculoskeletal pain syndromes (headache, facial pain, chest pain, visceral abdominal pain) if these are the sole source of pain, but can be present as co-morbid conditions as long as a patient has a primary musculoskeletal pain condition defined s above.
Inflammatory arthritis that require disease modifying drugs (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis)
Phantom limb pain
Patients with a history of metastatic cancer who are not currently NED
Have a pending pain-related VA or social security or worker's comp disability claim by self-report
Have an implanted electronically charged medical device

Treatment and study plan

Electro-Acupuncture (EA)

Procedure

Participants will receive 10 treatment of Electro-Acupuncture over the course of 10 weeks (with a maximum of 2 treatments per week). The acupuncturist will insert acupuncture needles in at least 4 local points around the body with the most pain and at least 4 distant points to address the patient's baseline constitution. The needles will be electrically stimulate at 2 Hz by connecting to a TENS unit. The needles will be in place for 30 minutes.

Battle Field Acupuncture (BFA)

Procedure

Participants will receive 10 treatment of Battle Field Acupuncture over the course of 10 weeks (with a maximum of 2 treatments per week). Acupuncture needles will be placed in the participants' ears. The total duration of BFA delivery is about 10 to 20 minutes depending on how many needles are used in the procedure.

Wait List Control (WLC)

Device

After the waiting period (12 weeks from randomization), participants in the WLC will receive up to ten treatments of either EA or BFA based on their personal preference.

Primary outcomes

Pain intensity and pain interference will be measured by using the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) measure.

Time frame: 12 weeks

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Personalize Electro-acupuncture vs. Auricular-acupuncture Comparative Effectiveness

Acronym: PEACE

Important dates

Study start: 2016
Primary completion: 2026
Study completion: 2026
First posted: Dec 1, 2016
Registry last updated: Dec 4, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Completed