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Acupuncture for Chronic Pain (PEACE Trial)

N/A

Waitlist Available

Led By Jun Mao, MD, MSCE

Research Sponsored by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Eligibility Criteria Checklist

Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial

Must have

Be older than 18 years old

Must not have

Inflammatory arthritis that require disease modifying drugs (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis)

Phantom limb pain

Timeline

Screening 3 weeks

Treatment Varies

Follow Up up to 5 years

Awards & highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

Summary

This trial is studying two types of acupuncture compared to usual care on treating chronic pain.

Who is the study for?

Adults over 18 with chronic pain for at least 3 months, experiencing significant pain levels, and have musculoskeletal issues like fibromyalgia. Cancer patients can join if they've finished active treatment a month prior but not if they have metastatic disease. Excludes those with inflammatory arthritis on specific drugs, non-musculoskeletal sole pain conditions, phantom limb pain, electronic medical implants or pending disability claims.

What is being tested?

The PEACE trial is testing two acupuncture techniques against standard care in managing chronic pain. Participants are divided into three groups: one receives Electro-Acupuncture (EA), another Battle Field Acupuncture (BFA), and the third group gets usual care before later receiving acupuncture.

What are the potential side effects?

Acupuncture may cause minor side effects such as soreness or bruising at needle sites, bleeding, dizziness during treatment. Serious side effects are rare but can include infections or injury to underlying tissues.

Eligibility Criteria

Exclusion Criteria

You may be eligible for the trial if you check “No” for criteria below:

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I take medication for inflammatory arthritis like rheumatoid arthritis.

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I experience pain in a limb that has been amputated.

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I have a history of cancer that has spread, and it is not currently in remission.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks3 visits

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~ up to 5 years

Screening ~ 3 weeks

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~up to 5 years

This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and up to 5 years for reporting.

Treatment Details

Awards & Highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

All patients enrolled in this study will receive some form of active treatment.

Trial Design

3Treatment groups

Active Control

Group I: Electro-Acupuncture (EA) ProcedureActive Control1 Intervention

Participants will receive 10 treatment of EA acupuncture over the course of 10 weeks (with a maximum of 2 treatments per week).

Group II: Battle Field Acupuncture (BFA) ProcedureActive Control1 Intervention

Participants will receive 10 treatment of BFA acupuncture over the course of 10 weeks (with a maximum of 2 treatments per week).

Group III: Wait List Control (WLC) Usual Care ProcedureActive Control3 Interventions

Subjects in the WLC group continue to receive their standard medical care and pain management as prescribed by their physicians or other health care providers, including analgesic medications. After the 12 week follow up period, patients in the WLC will receive up to ten treatments of either EA or BFA based on their personal preference.

0 / 3Eligibility criteria met