Could a nerve zap stop cancer wasting? early trial tests device for cachexia
NCT ID NCT07700212
First seen Jul 13, 2026 · Last updated Aug 14, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This early-phase trial tests whether a device that blocks signals from the vagus nerve can safely help patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer who are experiencing severe weight loss (cachexia). The device is placed on the skin over the nerve and is used alongside chemotherapy. The main goal is to check for side effects and see if it might help control the wasting process.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- OnVagus device (transcutaneous low-frequency vagal nerve blockade)
- What this could lead to
- If safe and effective, this approach could offer a new way to prevent or reverse cancer-related wasting, improving strength and quality of life for patients.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small phase 1 trial focused on safety, not proof of benefit. The device may cause side effects or fail to stop weight loss.
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
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Phase 1
The first testing in people. Mainly checks safety and dose, usually in a small group.
- Participants
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About 10 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: * Patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. * Must have adenocarcinoma component (presence of combined histology is acceptable, as long as adenocarcinoma is present). * Weight loss from baseline of at least 5% (Baseline weight can be anytime from diagnosis onward). * Must have a tissue-based confirmation of diagnosis available. Tissue does not need to be a metastasis; primary tumor or prior surgery are acceptable sources. * Must have had progression of disease after one prior line of therapy in the metastatic setting. * Must be receiving or plan to receive another line of therapy in the metastatic setting. o If therapy is being administered outside MD Anderson, the patient is still eligible for this trial. o Enrollment onto a therapeutic clinical trial as this second line therapy is not explicitly excluded. * Must have triple ECG results available. Patients will be ineligible if they present: o Second- or third-degree block. * Prolonged QT wave. * Atrial fibrillation or flutter. * Uncontrolled ventricular fibrillation or flutter. * Premature ventricular contractions (PVC). Exclusion Criteria: Exclusion Criteria * History of cervical vagotomy on the right side of neck. * Known structural abnormalities on the right side of neck, including but not limited to situs inversus, bulky R-neck lymphadenopathy, etc., that in the investigators' opinion would lead to inability to correctly place the device onto the vagus nerve. * Implanted electrical device that passes through the neck (e.g.: cranial implant with battery pack in chest, and wires running through the neck). * Metal implants in the neck, including the cervical spine. * Recent (6 months or less) nerve block or botox injections to the head or neck. * Pain specifically localized to the treatment area, the right side of the neck. * Prior severe cerebrovascular disease (e.g., intracranial aneurysm, intracranial hemorrhage, stroke). * Prior severe cardiac disease, including but not limited to coronary artery disease (CAD), prior myocardial infarction (MI), uncontrolled congestive heart failure (CHF).
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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UT MD Anderson
Houston, Texas, 77030, United States
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