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Ketamine during breast cancer surgery may stop chronic pain before it starts

NCT ID NCT03090776

Prevention Sponsor: Brigham and Women's Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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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
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jul 20, 2026 · Last updated Jul 21, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial tests whether giving a low dose of ketamine during mastectomy surgery can prevent persistent pain that often follows the procedure. Women scheduled for partial or total mastectomy receive either ketamine or a placebo saline infusion while under general anesthesia. Researchers then track pain levels and opioid use for up to one year after surgery to see if ketamine reduces both short-term and long-term pain.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
ketamine, a low-dose infusion given during general anesthesia
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a simple way to prevent chronic pain after mastectomy and reduce reliance on opioids.
What could go wrong
This is an early-phase trial, so results are preliminary. Ketamine may cause side effects like hallucinations or nausea, and the benefit may be small or limited to certain patients.

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

Early phase 1

The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.

Participants

264 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jul 2017

Finished

Sep 2025

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 to 85 years

Sex

Female participants only

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: * female * aged 18-85 years * scheduled for total or partial mastectomy * willingness to undergo psychophysical and psychosocial testing * willingness to participate in long-term follow-up * willingness to be randomized to treatment with IV ketamine or saline during general anesthesia. Exclusion criteria: * scheduled for biopsy only * pregnant * elevated ICP * schizophrenia or bipolar disorder * allergy to ketamine * Class III or higher heart failure

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Pain, Postoperative

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Pain, postoperative Post-mastectomy chronic pain syndrome

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Brigham and Women's Hospital

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.