Effects of Stellate Ganglion Block on Hot Flashes in Hispanic Women With Breast Cancer

Phase 2

Terminated

• Conditions: Hot Flashes; Hot Flushes; Vasomotor Symptoms
• Interventions: Drug: Stellate Ganglion Block injection with bupivicaine; Drug: Saline

• Registration Number: NCT03122301
• Lead Sponsor: Northwestern University

Brief Summary

Vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats, VMS) affect up to 65% of breast cancer survivors and negatively impact their quality of life. VMS in Hispanic women are significantly more severe as compared to non-Hispanic Caucasian women. Few effective treatments for VMS are available, especially in the underserved Hispanic and Spanish-speaking populations which is problematic, as Hispanics will comprise 20% of the U.S. population by 2025. Stellate ganglion nerve block (SGB) with local anesthetic, previously performed for chronic pain indications, has shown promise as a potential treatment for menopausal women with VMS in previous clinical trials, but has not been investigated in Hispanic or Spanish-Speaking women with breast cancer in a controlled study.

Detailed Description

In this study, investigators aim to assess the effects of SGB on VMS, sympathetic nervous system activity, depression and sleep in Hispanic and Spanish-Speaking women with breast cancer on endocrine therapy who take tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors (AIs) or SERMS, in a prospective, randomized, sham-controlled pilot study.

Project Hypothesis: The frequency and intensity of subjective and objective VMS will be significantly lower in women randomized to active SGB as compared to sham control.

Project Scope: Hispanic and Spanish-speaking women with breast cancer on tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors or SERMs with moderate to severe VMS will be enrolled as participants in this study. Eligible women will be specifically recruited from the oncology practice of Dr. Cesar Santa Maria, as well as Northwestern Memorial Hospital and other Northwestern affiliates.

Specific Goals and Objectives:

Goal 1: Determine the effect of stellate ganglion blockade (SGB) for reducing subjective and objective VMS in Hispanic women with breast cancer on endocrine therapy as this population is known to have a greater severity of VMS and has been notoriously underserved and understudied in the U.S. and in clinical trials.

Goal 2: Evaluate the effect of SGB on the sympathetic nervous system over time to gain new knowledge on the physiologic mechanism of SGB effects on VMS.

Goal 3: Evaluate the effect of SGB on mood, sleep, and quality of life in women with breast cancer on tamoxifen, AIs, or SERMs.

Goal 4: Using the results of this pilot study, investigators plan to submit an R01 grant to the National Cancer Institute in 2017 for a larger scale study.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2017-04-18
• Study First Submitted QC: 2017-04-19
• Study First Posted: 2017-04-20
• Study Start: 2017-06-01
• Primary Completion: 2020-07-01
• Study Completion: 2020-07-01
• Results First Submitted: 2022-04-14
• Results First Submitted QC: 2022-05-10
• Results First Posted: 2022-06-03
• Status Verified: 2022-07
• Last Update Submitted: 2022-07-13
• Last Update Posted: 2022-08-09

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: TERMINATED
• Sex: Female
• Target Recruitment: 2

Inclusion Criteria

1. Hispanic or Spanish speaking women aged 30 to 70 years
2. 28 or more reported moderate-to-very severe hot flashes per week
3. a minimum of two weeks of VMS diary recording prior to SGB
4. current use of tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors, or SERMs for a breast cancer indication for at last six months
5. willingness to undergo fluoroscopy-guided SGB or sham treatment.
6. if participant is on an SSRI,SNRI or membrane stabilizer (pregabalin, gabapentin, for example), it must be a stable, unchanged dose for previous 3 months

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Exclusion Criteria

1. conditions that preclude SGB or sham intervention (e.g., anatomic abnormalities of the anterior neck or cervical spine; goiter, cardiac/pulmonary compromise; acute illness/infection; coagulopathy or bleeding disorder; allergic reactions/contraindications to a local anesthetic or contrast dye); pregnancy 2. use of treatments in the past 2 months that can affect VMS (e.g., use of oral or transdermal HT or contraceptives,

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Bupivicaine	Stellate Ganglion Block injection with bupivicaine	Stellate Ganglion Block Injection with bupivicaine
Saline	Saline	Saline injection

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
2 Month Subject Reported Daily Hot Flashes (Mean)	2 months after treatment	2 month subject reported daily hot flashes measured from day 60 to day 90 after treatment (mean value).

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Anesthesiology Pain Medicine Center; 🇺🇸 Chicago, Illinois, United States