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Ear acupuncture tested as pain relief for breast cancer survivors

NCT ID NCT03096041

Symptom relief Sponsor: Centre Francois Baclesse 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
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026

Summary

This study tested whether auriculotherapy (a form of ear acupuncture) can reduce muscle and joint pain caused by aromatase inhibitors, a common hormone therapy for breast cancer. 197 postmenopausal women with breast cancer who had pain for at least 3 months were randomly assigned to receive real or placebo ear acupuncture. The main goal was to see if pain scores dropped by at least 2 points.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
auriculotherapy (ear acupuncture device)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a simple, low-cost, low-side-effect way to manage pain from breast cancer treatment.
What could go wrong
This is a completed Phase 3 trial, but auriculotherapy's effectiveness for this type of pain is still debated. The placebo effect may be strong, and results may not apply to all 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

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

197 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jul 2017

Finished

Jul 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 years and older

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: * Patient over 18 years of age * Patients with anti-aromatases in adjuvant treatment of breast cancer * Menopausal women * Treatment with aromatase inhibitors (anti-aromatase, AA) initiated for more than 3 months. In the case of a change in anti-aromatase, the last treatment must be started for more than 3 months. * Musculoskeletal pain appearing or increased under AA: * Overall pain score of QCD ≥3 (on a scale of 0 to 10) * Pain on at least 2 sites * Pain for at least 3 months * History of radiotherapy and / or adjuvant chemotherapy authorized * Patients may have received tamoxifen * Patient affiliated to a social security system * Patient mastering the French language and able to complete the evaluation questionnaires * Free and Informed Consent Exclusion Criteria: * Patients who have already undergone treatment in auriculotherapy for the same indication * Patient benefiting at the same time from a PNCAVT (acupuncture or homeopathy) for musculoskeletal pain * Wearing hearing aids hindering the placement of semi-permanent needles (ASP) * Wearing of a valve prosthesis * Patient under guardianship or unable to give informed consent * Patient unable to undergo medical follow-up for geographical, social or psychopathological reasons

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

breast cancer breast neoplasm Musculoskeletal Pain

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Breast cancer Musculoskeletal pain

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • CHU Grenoble

    Grenoble, France

  • Centre François Baclesse

    Caen, 14000, France

  • Centre Oscar Lambret

    Lille, France

  • Groupe Hospitalier Paris St Joseph

    Paris, France

  • Hôpital Cognac-Jay - Forcilles

    Férolles-Attilly, France

  • Hôpital Privé Paul d'Egine

    Champigny-sur-Marne, France

  • IGR

    Villejuif, France

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