Yoga for Symptoms of Nerve Damage Caused by Chemotherapy

Some types of chemotherapy used to treat breast cancer can cause damage to nerves with symptoms like tingling, numbness, muscle weakness, and pain in the hands and feet that can last and can affect functioning. The purpose of this study is to find out the effects of yoga on reducing symptoms caused by such nerve damage.

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Key information

Conditions

Breast Cancer Breast Diseases Breast Neoplasms Gynecologic Cancer Neoplasms Neoplasms by Site Nervous System Diseases Neuromuscular Diseases Peripheral Nervous System Diseases Peripheral Neuropathy Skin Diseases Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Memoral Sloan Kettering Westchester, Harrison, New York, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

English-speaking
Age >/= 18 years old
Survivors with a primary diagnosis of stage I-III breast, ovarian uterine, or endometrial cancer
Moderate to severe chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy, defined by symptoms such as numbness, tingling, or pain ratings of 4 or greater on a 0-10 numeric rating scale
Have completed neurotoxic chemotherapy, i.e. taxanes (paclitaxel, docetaxel) and platinum (carboplatin) at least 3 months prior to enrollment
If taking anti-neuropathy medications, they are on a stable regiment (no change in 3 months)
ECOG performance status 0-2

Exclusion criteria

Participants with metastatic disease
Participants who are currently receiving physical therapy or practicing yoga for any reason

Control Group - Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria

Inclusion criteria

English speaking
Age >/= 18 years old
Survivors with a primary diagnosis of Stage I-III breast, ovarian, uterine, or endometrial cancer
CIPN symptoms such as numbness, tingling, or pain ratings < 2 on a 0-10 NRS scale
Have completed neurotoxic chemotherapy, i.e. taxanes (paclitaxel, docetaxel) and platinum (carboplatin) at least 3 months prior to enrollment
ECOG performance status 0-2

Exclusion criteria

Patients with metastatic disease
Patients taking anti-neuropathy medication
Patients who are currently receiving physical therapy or practicing yoga for any reason

Treatment and study plan

yoga

Other

Participants in the Yoga group will meet twice weekly for 8 weeks of classes taught by MSK yoga instructors. Each class will last for sixty minutes. In addition to these group classes, participants will utilize a home-based program on the days group classes are not held. The daily home practice will continue for four weeks after the group classes are finished.

Wait list control

Other

Participants in the WLC group will continue usual care for twelve weeks before participating in Yoga classes for eight weeks. At the end of the twelve week follow-up, these subjects will receive eight weeks of group Yoga classes and the home Yoga practice recording. At week 20, they will complete a final follow-up visit.

Primary outcomes

Change in treatment related peripheral neuropathy symptoms

Time frame: 8 weeks of the participants' most bothersome peripheral neuropathy symptom

Treatment related symptoms will be evaluated by using NCI CTCAE v4.0

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Yoga for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Breast and GYN Cancer Survivors: A Pilot Study

Important dates

Study start: 2017
Primary completion: 2020
Study completion: 2020
First posted: Sep 25, 2017
Registry last updated: May 13, 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