Could a simple ear device ease chemo nerve pain?
NCT ID NCT07596030
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether people can use a small, portable device at home to stimulate the vagus nerve through the ear. It aims to see if this approach is practical and acceptable for managing nerve pain caused by chemotherapy. The study includes 36 adults who have had platinum or taxane chemotherapy, with 24 having nerve pain and 12 without. Participants with pain will use the device daily for two weeks.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) device
- What this could lead to
- If this works, it could point toward a safe, at-home way to manage nerve pain from chemotherapy without drugs.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early feasibility study with only 36 people. It is designed to see if people can use the device at home, not to prove it works for pain. The results may 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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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
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About 36 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2026
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2027
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 to 80 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: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) group: * Age 18-80 years * Prior exposure to platinum or taxane chemotherapy * Glove/stocking dysesthesias ≥3 months that began after neurotoxic chemotherapy * Worst CIPN-related pain ≥4/10 over the last week Registry Cohort: * Age 18-80 years * Prior exposure to platinum or taxane chemotherapy * Denis any current neuropathic symptoms as described above. Exclusion Criteria: All participants: * Unstable cardiac disease/ Known arrhythmias * Head or neck cancer or metastases * Recent ear trauma or active dermatologic disease at the stimulation site * \<2 months since completion of cancer treatment or surgery * Metal implants in the head or neck (e.g., cochlear implant) * Implanted electronic devices (e.g., pacemaker) * Known allergy to tape/adhesives * History of seizure/epilepsy, intracranial pathology, or skull defect * Pregnancy
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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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University of Miami, Plumer Building
RECRUITINGCoral Gables, Florida, 33146, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Retraining the senses to fight chemotherapy nerve damage
- Chilling out Chemo's side effects: could cold therapy shield nerves?
- Essential oils vs. chemo nerve pain: a natural remedy put to the test