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NCT Number: NCT03219502

rTMS in Improving Neuropathy in Patients With Stage I-IV Cancer Who Have Received Oxaliplatin Chemotherapy

This trial studies how well repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) works in improving neuropathy due to oxaliplatin chemotherapy in patients with stage I-IV cancer. rTMS is designed to change brain activity by introducing small magnetic impulses to the scalp that encourage the brain to change its activity.

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This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

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Key information

Conditions

Malignant Neoplasm Neoplasms Neuropathy

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

M D Anderson Cancer Center

Houston, Texas, 77030, United States

About this study

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Examine the effects of the repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) training program on perceptions of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) versus placebo (PC) and wait-list control groups (WLC).

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Explore changes in cortical activity: Electroencephalography (EEG) brain maps (low resolution electromagnetic tomography) will be assessed over time and compared between groups.

II. Determine if rTMS improves other aspects of CIPN, quality of life (QOL), and mental health (MH) compared to PC and WLC.

III. Explore moderators/mediators of the intervention by examining the extent to which changes in EEG patterns mediate the effects of the intervention and the extent to which there are interaction effects of the intervention and each of the baseline brain regions.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 3 groups.

GROUP I: Patients undergo rTMS over 30 minutes for 10 sessions over 10 business days.

GROUP II: Patients undergo sham rTMS over 30 minutes for 10 sessions over 10 business days.

GROUP III: Patients receive standard of care.

After completion of study, patients are followed up within 1 week and at 1 month.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients with stage I-IV cancers who received oxaliplatin chemotherapy
  • Understand and read English, sign a written informed consent, and be willing to follow protocol requirements
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 - 2
  • Grade 2 or higher neuropathic symptoms according to the National Cancer Institute's 4 point grading scale
  • Neuropathic symptoms must be related to chemotherapy (in the opinion of the treating physician)
  • Patients must have neuropathic symptoms for a minimum of 3 months
  • No plans to change the type of pain medication (if a patient is on pain medication)
  • Willing to come to MD Anderson for the therapy sessions

Exclusion criteria

  • Patients who are taking any antipsychotic medications
  • Patients who have evidence of brain metastases or any with any active central nervous system (CNS) disease at their time of entry into the trial
  • Patients who have ever been diagnosed with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia
  • Patients who have a history of head injury, focal brain lesions, or known seizure activity
  • Patients who are withdrawing from drugs
  • Patients with intracranial implants or a cardiac pacemaker or any device that is not considered magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) safe. Colorectal patients are sometimes prescribed Tramadol to help control the symptoms of CIPN. Tramadol does lower the seizure threshold, however these patients will be considered eligible for the study if they discontinue the drug 48 hours before the baseline and do not use it during the duration of the study

Treatment and study plan

Best Practice

Other

Receive standard of care

Other names: standard of care, standard therapy

Quality-of-Life Assessment

Other

Ancillary studies

Other names: Quality of Life Assessment

Questionnaire Administration

Other

Ancillary studies

repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation

Procedure

Undergo rTMS

Other names: rTMS

sham intervention

Procedure

Undergo sham rTMS

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in perceptions of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN)

    Time frame: Baseline up to 1 month

    Differences between repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and placebo (PC) and between rTMS and wait-list control (WLC) will be assessed by Pain Quality Assessment Scale (PQAS). Will conduct two-sample t-tests, subtracting post-intervention scores from pre-intervention scores at each post-intervention time point.

    The Pain Quality Assessment Scale (PQAS) is a 20-item measure developed to quantify quality and intensity of neuropathic pain. It was derived from the Neuropathic Pain Scale and includes symptom descriptors common to people with neuropathic symptoms.[44] Our primary outcome will be the 'unpleasantness subscale'.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in cortical activity

    Time frame: Baseline up to 1 month

    Will include pre, interim, and post comparisons of the electroencephalography (EEG), via low resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) imaging software, on an individual basis. These analyses will include global differences in cortical activation as well as site-specific dominant frequencies for each patient.

  2. Change in perception of improvement in CIPN as assessed by Patients' Global Impression of Change (PGIC) questionnaire

    Time frame: Baseline up to 1 month

    Will use data across the set of post-intervention assessment points. Will conduct two-sample t-tests, subtracting post-intervention scores from pre-intervention scores at each post-intervention time point.

    The Patients' Global Impression of Change (PGIC) will measure clinically important change from the patient's perspective. Patients report symptoms on a range from "very much worse" to "very much improved".

  3. Change in perception of improvement in CIPN as assessed by Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) questionnaire

    Time frame: Baseline up to 1 month

    Will use data across the set of post-intervention assessment points. Will conduct two-sample t-tests, subtracting post-intervention scores from pre-intervention scores at each post-intervention time point.

    The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) is a validated tool to assess 12 major symptoms (rated 0-10) that are common in cancer patients during the 24 hours preceding its administration. The symptoms assessed are pain, fatigue, nausea, depression, anxiety, drowsiness, shortness of breath, appetite, insomnia, well-being, financial distress, and spiritual distress.

  4. Change in perception of improvement in CIPN as assessed by Brief Pain Inventory-short form (BPI) questionnaire

    Time frame: Baseline up to 1 month

    Will use data across the set of post-intervention assessment points. Will conduct two-sample t-tests, subtracting post-intervention scores from pre-intervention scores at each post-intervention time point.

    The Brief Pain Inventory-short form (BPI) is a validated, widely used, questionnaire that will assess severity and impact of pain. We will prioritize assessment of the 'worst pain' subscale, and 'interference' subscale as they have been used to assess pain in other pain trials.

  5. Change in perception of improvement in CIPN as assessed by Pain Vigilance and Awareness Questionnaire (PVAQ)

    Time frame: Baseline up to 1 month

    Will use data across the set of post-intervention assessment points. Will conduct two-sample t-tests, subtracting post-intervention scores from pre-intervention scores at each post-intervention time point.

    The Pain Vigilance and Awareness Questionnaire (PVAQ) will assess attention to pain in terms of awareness, consciousness, vigilance, and observation of pain.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Other

Collaborators

  • National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Registry information

Official study title

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) to Treat Oxaliplatin-Induced Neuropathy

Important dates

Study start
2017
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jul 17, 2017
Registry last updated
Oct 14, 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.

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