Could an ADHD drug beat cancer fatigue in kids?
NCT ID NCT06905587
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether methylphenidate, a drug used for ADHD, can reduce severe fatigue in people who had a brain tumor as a child or teen. Fifty survivors aged 6 and older will receive either the drug or a placebo in a crossover design. The goal is to see if it improves energy and thinking, offering a new option for a common, tough side effect.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- methylphenidate (a stimulant drug used for ADHD)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide an evidence-based treatment option for severe fatigue in young brain tumor survivors, improving their daily energy and quality of life.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial (50 people) testing a drug that may cause side effects like sleep problems or appetite loss. The benefit may be modest or not apply to everyone.
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 3
Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.
- Participants
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About 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2029
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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6 to 27 years
- 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: 1. Diagnosed and treated for a brain tumor during childhood or adolescence (0-≤18 years). 2. Treated for a PBT during the previous 10 years, starting from date of diagnosis. 3. Aged ≥6 years 0 months at the start of the trial. 4. Off therapy/active treatment for pediatric brain tumor (PBT) for 12 months at the start of the trial. 5. No known signs of clinical or radiological tumor progression at last follow-up. 6. Danish is the sole or primary language (enabling provision of validated assessment tools). 7. Patient and family have provided consent for inclusion in the trial. 8. Clinically significant fatigue based on the PedsQL MFS questionnaire at baseline, defined by a score ≥ 1 standard deviation below the normative mean. 9. History of clinically relevant fatigue after treatment of PBT compared to estimated premorbid ability, as assessed from consultations in the childhood cancer outpatient clinics. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Any known contraindications to methylphenidate as outlined below: A) Hypersensitivity to the active substance or any excipients listed in the summary of product characteristics. B) Glaucoma. C) Pheochromocytoma. D) Hyperthyroidism. E) Mania. F) Psychosis. G) Anorexia nervosa. H) Current or previous severe depression. I) Suicidal behavior. J) Poorly controlled type 1 bipolar affective disorder. K) Antisocial or borderline personality disorder. L) Pre-existing cardiovascular disorders, including severe hypertension, heart failure, arterial occlusive disease, angina pectoris, hemodynamically significant congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathies, myocardial infarction, potentially life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias and channelopathies. M) Pre-existing cerebrovascular disease, cerebral aneurysm, vascular abnormalities including vasculitis or stroke. N) Treatment with irreversible MAO inhibitors within the last 14 days and reversible MAO inhibitors within the last 24 hours. 2. History of recent poorly controlled seizures. 3. Motor tics or Tourette syndrome (including family history of tic disorder). 4. Known diagnosis of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or Autism Spectrum Disorder. 5. Known diagnosis of Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) of \<50. 6. Pregnancy. Participants known to be pregnant or breastfeeding at screening/registration will not be enrolled in the trial. All sexually active women of childbearing potential (WOCBP) must have a negative pregnancy test prior to the start of treatment. Acceptableeffective contraceptive must be used for the duration of the trial. No further testing is needed during trial, unless the participant suspects to have become pregnant. 7. Concerns about family ability to safely store or administer MPH, or to report side effects appropriately/concerns about familial substance abuse. 8. Concurrent use of opiods (ATC N02A) or benzodiazepines (ATC N05BA and N05CF). 9. Simultaneously enrolled in another clinical trial investigating cancer-related fatigue with a pharmaceutical intervention.
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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
4 sites. 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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Aalborg University Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGAalborg, 9000, Denmark
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Aarhus University Hospital
RECRUITINGAarhus, 8200, Denmark
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Odense University Hospital
RECRUITINGOdense, 5000, Denmark
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Rigshospitalet
RECRUITINGCopenhagen, 2100, Denmark
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