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Anatomic Stage I Breast Cancer AJCC v8NCT06534125

Acutherapy to Prevent Aromatase Inhibitor-Associated Arthralgias in Non-Hispanic Black Postmenopausal Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer

A study testing Acupressure Therapy, Acupuncture Therapy and Aromatase Inhibition Therapy in people with Anatomic Stage I Breast Cancer AJCC v8 and Anatomic Stage II Breast Cancer AJCC v8, run by Emory University at 4 sites in United States.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

This clinical trial evaluates if in-person acupuncture or virtual acupressure therapy prevents aromatase inhibitor-associated joint pain in Non-Hispanic Black postmenopausal women with stage I-III (early-stage) hormone receptor positive (HR+) breast cancer. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older, women only
What is being tested?
Acupressure Therapy, Acupuncture Therapy and Aromatase Inhibition Therapy
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
150 participants
Where
4 sitesUnited States
Study dates
12 Dec 2024to 31 Dec 2027
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • Women only
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • Self-identified Non-Hispanic Black woman
  • Postmenopausal status (>= 12 months since last menstrual period, history of bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, or estradiol, follicle-stimulating hormone [FSH], and luteinizing hormone [LH] levels consistent with menopause)
  • Diagnosed with stage I-III HR+/HER2 negative (-) breast cancer
  • Completed all phases of active therapy (e.g. surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation) at least 14 days before study enrollment
  • Planned to start adjuvant AI

Who cannot join

  • Diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer
  • Premenopausal status
  • History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to acupuncture needles or other agents used in study
  • Diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, or muscular dystrophy
  • A history of or current CDK 4/6 inhibitor use
  • A history of neoadjuvant AI use
  • Use of adjuvant AI > 14 days
  • Received acupuncture within 60 days prior to start of study

Trial locations and contacts

4 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Demetria Smith-Graziani, MD, MPH contact

404-712-4834

demetria.joy.smith-graziani@emory.edu

United States4 sites, 4 recruiting
  • Grady Health System

    Atlanta, Georgia, 30303

    Ashley Trumbull, 404-778-3969, ashley.lynn.trumbull@emory.edu

    Demetria Smith-Graziani, MD, MPH

    Recruiting
  • Emory University Hospital Midtown

    Atlanta, Georgia, 30308

    Ashley Trumbull, 404-778-3969, ashley.lynn.trumbull@emory.edu

    Demetria Smith-Graziani, MD, MPH

    Recruiting
  • Emory University Hospital/Winship Cancer Institute

    Atlanta, Georgia, 30322

    Ashley Trumbull, 404-778-3969, ashley.lynn.trumbull@emory.edu

    Demetria Smith-Graziani, MD, MPH

    Recruiting
  • Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital

    Atlanta, Georgia, 30342

    Ashley Trumbull, 404-712-4834, ashley.lynn.trumbull@emory.edu

    Demetria Smith-Graziani, MD, MPH

    Recruiting

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Preventing Aromatase Inhibitor-Associated Arthralgias Among Non-Hispanic Black Postmenopausal Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer

This clinical trial evaluates if in-person acupuncture or virtual acupressure therapy prevents aromatase inhibitor-associated joint pain in Non-Hispanic Black postmenopausal women with stage I-III (early-stage) hormone receptor positive (HR+) breast cancer. Aromatase inhibitors (AI) are medications that prevent the formation of the hormone estrogen. They are used in the treatment of postmenopausal women who have hormone-dependent breast cancer. AI therapy prolongs life among patients with early-stage HR+ breast cancer. Many postmenopausal women stop AI therapy early due to debilitating joint pain (arthralgias). Non-Hispanic Black women are more likely to experience side effects and stop their hormonal therapy compared to Non-Hispanic white women. Acupuncture therapy involves inserting thin needles through the skin at specific points on the body to control pain. Acupressure therapy uses the application of pressure or localized massage to specific sites on the body to control symptoms such as pain. Acupuncture and acupressure are types of complementary and alternative medicine. Undergoing in-person acupuncture or participating in virtual acupressure may prevent AI-associated arthralgias (AIAA) in Non-Hispanic Black postmenopausal women with early-stage HR+ breast cancer.

Read the detailed description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

  1. To determine if initiation of in-person acupuncture or virtual acupressure sessions within 2 weeks of starting aromatase inhibitors (AI) will reduce the severity and incidence of AI-associated arthralgias (AIAA) among non-Hispanic Black postmenopausal women with stage I-III hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer at 6 months after starting adjuvant AI therapy.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

  1. To compare the efficacy of acupuncture to the efficacy of acupressure among the study population.

II. To determine if acupuncture or acupressure will increase AI adherence (secondary endpoint) among the study population at 6 months after starting adjuvant AI therapy.

III. To evaluate the acceptance, satisfaction, convenience, accessibility, and perceptions of in-person acupuncture and virtual acupressure.

IV. To conduct 4 focus groups of 6-12 non-Hispanic Black women who receive 12 weeks of acupuncture or acupressure and collect and analyze qualitative data about barriers and facilitators to completing each intervention, transportation concerns, and ease or difficulty of completing each intervention.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 3 arms.

ARM I: Patients undergo acupuncture therapy in-person over 1 hour twice weekly for the first 6 weeks and then once weekly for 6 weeks and receive standard of care (SOC) AI therapy.

ARM II: Patients undergo self-administered acupressure therapy virtually over 1 hour twice weekly for the first 6 weeks and then once weekly for 6 weeks and receive SOC AI therapy.

ARM III: Patients receive SOC AI therapy.

After completion of study intervention, patients are followed up for 12 months or until the initiation of new antineoplastic or investigational therapy, whichever occurs first.

Being tested
Acupressure Therapy, Acupuncture Therapy, Aromatase Inhibition Therapy, Discussion, Survey Administration
Keywords
Disparities, Health Equity, Health Services

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Acupressure TherapyProcedure or surgery

    Also called Acupressure, Ischemic Compression

    Undergo self-administered acupressure therapy to planned pressure points

  • Acupuncture TherapyDevice

    Also called Acupuncture

    Undergo acupuncture therapy with acupuncture needles applied to planned pressure points

  • Aromatase Inhibition TherapyDrug

    Also called Aromatase Inhibition

    Receive SOC AI therapy

  • DiscussionOther

    Also called Discuss

    Ancillary studies

  • Survey AdministrationOther

    Ancillary studies

Study groups in NCT06534125
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Arm I (acupuncture, AI therapy)ExperimentalPatients undergo acupuncture therapy in-person over 1 hour twice weekly for the first 6 weeks and then once weekly for 6 weeks and receive standard of care (SOC) aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy.
Receives: Device: Acupuncture Therapy; Drug: Aromatase Inhibition Therapy; Other: Discussion; Other: Survey Administration
Arm II (acupressure, AI therapy)ExperimentalPatients undergo self-administered acupressure therapy virtually over 1 hour twice weekly for the first 6 weeks and then once weekly for 6 weeks and receive SOC AI therapy.
Receives: Procedure: Acupressure Therapy; Drug: Aromatase Inhibition Therapy; Other: Discussion; Other: Survey Administration
Arm III (AI therapy)Active comparatorPatients receive SOC AI therapy.
Receives: Drug: Aromatase Inhibition Therapy; Other: Survey Administration

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Brief pain inventory (BPI) pain severity score

    Pain will be assessed by the BPI-Short Form. Pain severity is rated from 0-10 with higher scores indicating worse pain. Will measure change in BPI severity score from baseline as an absolute value and a percentage. Will also measure pain as a dichotomous variable (increase in BPI score >= 1 point versus (vs) < 1 point increase in pain severity) in order to determine the incidence of aromatase inhibitor-associated arthralgias (AIAA) and compare the incidence between study arms at 24 weeks. Participants can also list all pain medications they are taking. Will verify this information in their medical records.

    Measured: Baseline to 6 months after aromatase inhibitor (AI) start

  2. Incidence of arthralgias

    Pain will be assessed by the BPI-Short Form. Pain severity is rated from 0-10 with higher scores indicating worse pain. Will measure change in BPI score from baseline as an absolute value and a percentage. Will also measure pain as a dichotomous variable (increase in BPI score >= 1 point vs < 1 point increase in pain severity) in order to determine the incidence of AIAA and compare the incidence between study arms at 24 weeks. Participants can also list all pain medications they are taking. Will verify this information in their medical records.

    Measured: Baseline to 6 months after AI start

Secondary outcomes (7)
  1. Pain severity

    Pain will be assessed by the BPI-Short Form. Pain severity is rated from 0-10 with higher scores indicating worse pain. Will measure change in BPI score from baseline as an absolute value and a percentage. Will also measure pain as a dichotomous variable (increase in BPI score >= 1 point vs < 1 point increase in pain severity) in order to determine the incidence of AIAA and compare the incidence between study arms at 24 weeks. Participants can also list all pain medications they are taking. Will verify this information in their medical records.

    Measured: Baseline to 6 months after starting study intervention

  2. Incidence of arthralgias

    Pain will be assessed by the BPI-Short Form. Pain severity is rated from 0-10 with higher scores indicating worse pain. Will measure change in BPI score from baseline as an absolute value and a percentage. Will also measure pain as a dichotomous variable (increase in BPI score >= 1 point vs < 1 point increase in pain severity) in order to determine the incidence of AIAA and compare the incidence between study arms at 24 weeks. Participants can also list all pain medications they are taking. Will verify this information in their medical records.

    Measured: Baseline to 6 months after starting study intervention

  3. AI adherence

    Will be assessed by electronic medical record and patient report. Longitudinal data measured repeatedly over time will be modeled by the generalized linear model (GENMOD) with hypothesis testing on the trend of assessment change over time or probability of developing AIAA over time among the three arms.

    Measured: Baseline to 6 months after starting study intervention

  4. Symptom burden

    Will be assessed by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Symptoms- Endocrine Symptoms score. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Symptoms - Endocrine Symptoms (FACT-ES) is a 46-item validated survey that assesses physical well-being, social/family well-being, emotional well-being, functional well-being, and common symptoms associated with endocrine therapy among cancer patients > 18 years old receiving endocrine treatments. Each question is on a 5-point Likert scale. A higher composite score correlates to a better quality of life.

    Measured: Baseline to 6 months after starting study intervention

  5. Intervention completion rate

    Will track the number of acupuncture or acupressure sessions that study participants successfully complete.

    Measured: At 6 months after starting study intervention

  6. Participant satisfaction rate

    Will be assessed by the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-4). Will assess the intervention impact on satisfaction level, difficulty of completing interventions, and perceived benefit of the interventions at the primary time point at weeks 24, as well as their change pattern over time. A higher score indicates more satisfaction. Will conduct 4 focus groups (2 per intervention arm) of 12 patients each, stratified by intervention type (acupuncture vs acupressure) and clinic site, which is believed to be sufficient to reach saturation of themes. For qualitative focus groups, will use conventional content analysis methods. In-depth focus groups will be audio-recorded and professionally transcribed.

    Measured: At 6 months after starting study intervention

  7. Perceived difficulty of completing study intervention

    Will be assessed by the CSQ-4. Will assess the intervention impact on satisfaction level, difficulty of completing interventions, and perceived benefit of the interventions at the primary time point at weeks 24, as well as their change pattern over time. A higher score indicates more satisfaction. Will conduct 4 focus groups (2 per intervention arm) of 12 patients each, stratified by intervention type (acupuncture vs acupressure) and clinic site, which is believed to be sufficient to reach saturation of themes. For qualitative focus groups, will use conventional content analysis methods. In-depth focus groups will be audio-recorded and professionally transcribed.

    Measured: At 6 months after starting study intervention

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted2 Aug 2024
  2. Study start12 Dec 2024
  3. Primary completion31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
  4. Study completion31 Dec 2027 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
150 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06534125
Sponsor's protocol ID
STUDY00007393
Other IDs
NCI-2024-04392, STUDY00007393, WINSHIP6156-24, P30CA138292
Status last verified
Jan 2026
First submitted
30 Jul 2024
Last updated
29 Jan 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
Yes

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Acupressure Therapy, Acupuncture Therapy and Aromatase Inhibition Therapy in people with Anatomic Stage I Breast Cancer AJCC v8 and Anatomic Stage II Breast Cancer AJCC v8, run by Emory University at 4 sites in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 8 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 29 Jan 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 4 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Demetria Smith-Graziani, MD, MPH (404-712-4834, demetria.joy.smith-graziani@emory.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Brief pain inventory (BPI) pain severity score (time frame: Baseline to 6 months after aromatase inhibitor (AI) start). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 29 Jan 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 8 Nov 2026.

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