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Completed Phase 2Phase 3 Interventional

Acupressure for Persistent Cancer Related Fatigue

ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT01281904

Public ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT01281904. Field values are reproduced from the official study page; the official ClinicalTrials.gov record remains the source of truth for eligibility, enrollment, and contact information.

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Data is sourced from official ClinicalTrials.gov public API records. Always review the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for the latest information.

Official title

Acupressure for Persistent Cancer-Related Fatigue in Breast Cancer Survivors

Brief summary

Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.

There are over 2 million breast cancer survivors today. Persistent Cancer-Related fatigue (PCRF), a state of being tired or weary, is one of the most common and distressing symptoms experienced by breast cancer (BC) survivors. Rates of significant PCRF in BC survivors range from 30% to 82% within the first 5-years of diagnosis and there are few treatment options for PCRF and these treatments require the availability of a trained practitioner, are associated with significant costs, pose a sizeable burden for the patient, or have unacceptable side-effects. Acupressure is a technique derived from acupuncture, a component of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In acupressure, physical pressure is applied to acupuncture points by the hand, elbow, or with various devices to treat disease. Pilot studies have demonstrated that self-administered acupressure can significantly decrease PCRF by as much as 70% in cancer survivors. Acupressure can also have positive effects on sleep quality in cancer patients and other chronically ill populations. Self-administered acupressure is a non-toxic and inexpensive treatment that requires minimal instruction. It also requires little effort and time on the part of the patient to successfully complete. Thus, acupressure appears to be a promising treatment for PCRF and associated symptoms. The investigators are conducting a single-blind, placebo controlled study to examine the specific effect of two opposing acupressure treatments compared to standard of care. The goal of this study is to determine the benefit of acupressure on treating persistent fatigue experience by many patients after completing their cancer treatment. Study patients will be randomized into one of three groups: two different types of acupressure or a standard of care arm. For those participants randomized to receive acupressure, the technique will be taught to them by a study nurse trained by an acupressure specialist. Participants will be asked to perform the acupressure daily over the next six weeks, during which time they will record their fatigue and be asked to wear an activity monitor to have their daily activity levels monitored.

Study identification

NCT ID
NCT01281904
Recruitment status
Completed
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 2, Phase 3
Lead sponsor
University of Michigan
Other
Enrollment
288 participants

Conditions and interventions

Eligibility (public fields only)

Age range
18 Years and older
Sex
Female
Healthy volunteers
Healthy volunteers not accepted

This page does not interpret eligibility. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria are on the official ClinicalTrials.gov record.

Study timeline

Start date
Mar 31, 2011
Primary completion
Aug 31, 2014
Completion
Aug 31, 2014
Last update posted
Aug 5, 2015

2011 – 2014

United States locations

U.S. sites
1
U.S. states
1
U.S. cities
1
Facility City State ZIP Site status
University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan 48106

Site contact phone numbers, emails, and investigator names are intentionally not displayed here. Open the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for site contact information.

About this trial record page

What this page shows
Public field values for ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT01281904, including study identification, conditions, interventions, eligibility (age, sex, healthy volunteer), timeline, and U.S. site list.
What this page does not do
No medical advice, eligibility judgments, treatment recommendations, study quality scoring, or AI-generated medical summaries. No site contact phone numbers, emails, or investigator names.
Where the data comes from
Sourced from the official ClinicalTrials.gov public API. The official record is the source of truth.
Last refresh
Last update posted Aug 5, 2015 · Synced Sep 5, 2026

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Open the official record

The complete protocol, eligibility criteria, and contact information for NCT01281904 live on ClinicalTrials.gov.

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