Acupuncture-Like Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (ALTENS) or Pilocarpine in Treating Early Dry Mouth in Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer

Summary

RATIONALE: Acupuncture-like transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (ALTENS) and pilocarpine may help to relieve chronic xerostomia (dry mouth). It is not yet known which remedy is more effective in treating chronic dry mouth caused by radiation therapy in patients with head and neck cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II/III trial is studying ALTENS to see how well it works compared with pilocarpine in treating chronic dry mouth caused by radiation therapy in patients with head and neck cancer.

Timeline

Start

2008-09

Primary completion

2014-11

Completion

2014-11

Publications

• Results Wong RK, James JL, Sagar S, Wyatt G, Nguyen-Tan PF, Singh AK, Lukaszczyk B, Cardinale F, Yeh AM, Berk L. Phase 2 results from Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Study 0537: a phase 2/3 study comparing acupuncture-like transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation versus pilocarpine in treating early radiation-induced xerostomia. Cancer. 2012 Sep 1;118(17):4244-52. doi: 10.1002/cncr.27382. Epub 2012 Jan 17.

Drugs

Indications