Mind over needles: imagined acupuncture may soothe chemo nerve damage
NCT ID NCT07177820
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 23, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests a new approach for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) — nerve pain, numbness, or tingling after cancer treatment. Instead of real needles, participants watch a video of acupuncture being applied and imagine it is happening to them. The trial will enroll 20 breast cancer survivors to see if this method is feasible and satisfying, and whether it might reduce nerve symptoms.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Video-Guided Acupuncture Imagery Treatment (VGAIT)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, drug-free way to manage nerve pain after chemotherapy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small early feasibility study with only 20 people. It tests whether the idea works at all, not whether it truly helps symptoms. 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 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2026
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
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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Female participants only
- 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: * at least 18 years of age * have histologically confirmed stage I-III breast cancer, * have completed adjuvant taxane-based chemotherapy (alone or in combination), , * have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1, and reported grade 1 or greater CIPN symptoms for more than 2 weeks as defined by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE), version 4.03. Exclusion Criteria: * concurrent chemotherapy (there were no limitations on time from the last paclitaxel administration), * having metastatic or recurrent disease, * history of preexisting peripheral neuropathy prior to chemotherapy, * uncontrolled seizure disorder, * unstable cardiac disease or myocardial infarction within 6 months prior to study entry, being pregnant or nursing, or having used acupuncture for CIPN within 6 months prior to study entry.
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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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Massachusetts General Hospital
RECRUITINGCharlestown, Massachusetts, 02129, United States
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