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Behavioural Intervention

Neurofeedback for Head and Neck Cancer Pain

N/A

Waitlist Available

Led By Sarah Prinsloo

Research Sponsored by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Eligibility Criteria Checklist

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

Must have

Patients must not have pain > 2 on a scale of 0 - 10 (self report) in the head and neck before starting radiotherapy

Scheduled to undergo a 6 week course of radiotherapy for head and neck cancer

Timeline

Screening 3 weeks

Treatment Varies

Follow Up up to 5 years

Awards & highlights

Study Summary

This trial is testing neurofeedback training to see if it can help decrease pain caused by radiation therapy for head and neck cancer.

Who is the study for?

This trial is for English-speaking individuals with head and neck cancer, who are about to start a 6-week radiotherapy course and currently have low pain levels. They must consent to the study's protocol and not plan on changing their pain medication during the study. Those with chronic pain, mental health conditions like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, seizure disorders, or active brain diseases cannot participate.Check my eligibility

What is being tested?

The trial is testing neurofeedback training—a therapy that uses brain wave activity measurements to potentially reduce acute pain caused by radiotherapy in head and neck cancer patients. Participants will learn how to alter their own brain waves to lessen pain perception.See study design

What are the potential side effects?

Since neurofeedback involves non-invasive brain activity monitoring and training without medications, it typically does not produce side effects. However, some participants might experience discomfort from wearing sensors or fatigue after sessions.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

You may be eligible if you check “Yes” for the criteria below

Select...

My head or neck pain is 2 or less on a scale of 0 to 10.

Select...

I am set to start a 6-week radiotherapy for my head or neck cancer.

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

Study Objectives

Outcome measures can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.

Primary outcome measures

EEG

Neurofeeback (LORETA)

Secondary outcome measures

Malignant Neoplasms

Pain medication use

The Brief Pain Inventory (Short Form)

+3 more

Trial Design

1Treatment groups

Experimental Treatment

Group I: Supportive care (neurofeedback)Experimental Treatment2 Interventions

Beginning at weeks 4 and 5 or 5 and 6 of radiotherapy, patients undergo neurofeedback training QID TIW for up to 6 treatments. Patients also complete questionnaires over 10 minutes at baseline and after neurofeedback training.

0 / 2Eligibility criteria met

Find a Location

Who is running the clinical trial?

M.D. Anderson Cancer CenterLead Sponsor

2,967 Previous Clinical Trials

1,804,785 Total Patients Enrolled

National Cancer Institute (NCI)NIH

13,657 Previous Clinical Trials

40,933,650 Total Patients Enrolled

Sarah PrinslooPrincipal InvestigatorM.D. Anderson Cancer Center

6 Previous Clinical Trials

833 Total Patients Enrolled

Frequently Asked Questions

These questions and answers are submitted by anonymous patients, and have not been verified by our internal team.

Is enrollment currently open for this research endeavor?

"Contrary to expectation, the clinical trial outlined on clinicaltrials.gov is not currently recruiting patients; however, it was initially posted in August of 2012 and most recently edited in September 2022. Despite this study's status, 408 additional trials are actively searching for participants at this time."

Answered by AI

What is the ultimate objective of this research endeavor?

"This clinical trial will observe the efficacy of Neurofeedback (LORETA) over a baseline period up to one week. Secondary outcomes being assessed include Visual Analog Scale for pain and mouth sores, M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory for Head and neck cancer and Multidimensional Pain Inventory. These metrics are used to gauge patient comfort levels, symptom severity, daily activity interference due to cancer-related symptoms, cognitive adaptation regarding their pain experience as well as social support received by patients undergoing treatment interventions."

Answered by AI

Recent research and studies

clinicaltrials.govStudy

Neurofeedback in Decreasing Acute Radiotherapy-Induced Pain in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer

2012. "Neurofeedback in Decreasing Acute Radiotherapy-Induced Pain in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer". ClinicalTrials.gov. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02543320.