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Needles or kneading? study tests acupuncture vs. massage for advanced cancer pain

NCT ID NCT04095234

Symptom relief Sponsor: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing This study
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This study compares acupuncture and massage to see which is more effective at reducing pain and improving quality of life in people with advanced cancer. About 300 participants will receive either acupuncture or massage over several weeks. The goal is to find a safe, drug-free way to manage cancer pain.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Acupuncture and massage
What this could lead to
If successful, this could show that acupuncture or massage is a safe, effective way to manage pain and improve quality of life for people with advanced cancer.
What could go wrong
This is a phase 2 trial, so results are still preliminary. The treatments may not work for everyone, and pain relief might be modest. Also, the study only includes certain cancer types, so findings may not apply broadly.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 2

Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.

Participants

300 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Sep 2019

Expected to finish

Sep 2026

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age ≥ 18 years or older * Having a diagnosis of the following: stage III or IV lung cancer; any stage pancreatic cancer; unresectable cholangiocarcinoma; unresectable liver cancer; unresectable ampullary or peri-ampullary cancer or other stage IV gastrointestinal cancer; stage III or IV ovarian or fallopian tube cancers or other stage IV gynecologic cancer; stage IV breast cancer; stage III testicular cancer; stage IV genitourinary cancer; stage III or IV sarcoma; stage IV melanoma; stage III or IV head/neck cancer; stage IV endocrine cancer; or hematological malignancies (lymphoma, myeloma, and leukemia) * Be ambulatory (Karnofsky functional score of ≥ 60) * Having musculoskeletal pain, defined as regional (joints, extremities, back, neck) or more generalized (fibromyalgia or chronic widespread pain); Patients with a neuropathic component to their pain that involves the extremities or back will be eligible. * Having musculoskeletal pain for at least 1 month * Having had pain for at least 15 days in the preceding 30 days * Having a pain rating of 4 or greater in worst pain on a 0-10 numerical rating scale in the preceding week * Having an expected prognosis of greater than six months as judged by the treating oncologist or study physician Exclusion Criteria: * Having a platelet count \<15,000 * Cognitive impairment precluding response to study assessments * Unwilling to accept random assignment * Unwilling to commit to the 26-week study time period * Have non-musculoskeletal pain syndromes (headache, facial pain, chest pain, visceral abdominal pain) if these are the sole source of pain but can be present as co-morbid conditions as long as a patient has a primary musculoskeletal pain condition defined as above.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

cancer Cancer Pain Tooth, Impacted

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Cancer pain

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Baptist Alliance MCI

    Miami, Florida, 33143, United States

  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Basking Ridge (All Protocol Activities)

    Basking Ridge, New Jersey, 07920, United States

  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Bergen (All Protocol Activities)

    Montvale, New Jersey, 07645, United States

  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (All Protocol Activities)

    New York, New York, 10065, United States

  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Commack (All Protocol Activities)

    Commack, New York, 11725, United States

  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth (All Protocol Activities)

    Middletown, New Jersey, 07748, United States

  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Nassau (All Protocol Activities)

    Uniondale, New York, 11553, United States

  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Westchester (All Protocol Activities)

    Harrison, New York, 10604, United States

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