NCT02729805

Brief Summary

Preventive analgesia is when an administered analgesic drug provides reduction in pain beyond its duration of action. This can be used to reduce acute postoperative pain and prevent occurrence of chronic post-surgical pain. According to the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), chronic pain can be defined as pain that persisted beyond the time of normal tissue healing (usually 3 months) and that was not related to other causes. Mastectomy is associated with a high incidence of chronic post-surgical pain. Breast cancer is the most common malignancy affecting females around the world. Many undergo mastectomy as part of curative treatment. However, a significant proportion of patients experience chronic post-surgical pain. This results in significant negative impact on physical, psychological and social wellbeing. Ketamine is an intravenous anaesthetic drug with analgesic effects. It can be used to treat both acute and chronic pain. A recent meta-analysis of different surgeries showed that patients receiving ketamine had a modest but statistically significant reduction in incidence of chronic post-surgical pain. In a small sample single dose pilot study, patients given low dose intravenous ketamine intraoperatively had a statistically non-significant reduction in incidence of pain around the surgical scar at three months after radical mastectomy. Randomized control trials with larger sample sizes are needed to determine the effectiveness and optimal dosing regime of ketamine for reduction of chronic post-mastectomy pain. It is therefore hypothesized that intravenous ketamine given intraoperatively will reduce the incidence and severity of chronic pain after modified radical mastectomy. A double blind randomized controlled trial comparing placebo group with two different doses of ketamine is proposed. The mechanism of action of ketamine in reducing pain is complex and multiple. How ketamine can prevent and reduce chronic pain is unknown. Ketamine has been shown to reduce immediate gene expression at site of mechanical injury. Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and Transient Receptor Ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) are receptors shown to mediate acute and chronic pain. Ketamine, shown to affect gene expression, may alter the expression of TRPV1 and TRPA1 via epigenetic mechanisms.

Trial Health

33
At Risk

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Trial has exceeded expected completion date
Trial recruitment is currently suspended
Enrollment
135

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for phase_4 chronic-pain

Timeline
Completed

Started Aug 2015

Longer than P75 for phase_4 chronic-pain

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
suspended

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

June 28, 2015

Completed
2 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

August 18, 2015

Completed
8 months until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

April 6, 2016

Completed
8.2 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

June 1, 2024

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

June 1, 2024

Completed
Last Updated

May 10, 2023

Status Verified

May 1, 2023

Enrollment Period

8.8 years

First QC Date

June 28, 2015

Last Update Submit

May 8, 2023

Conditions

Keywords

ketaminechronic painmastectomyacute pain

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Severity of chronic pain

    Determine the severity using numerical rating scale

    At postoperative 3 months

Secondary Outcomes (1)

  • Incidence of neuropathic pain

    At postoperative 3 months

Study Arms (3)

Saline

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

A syringe of 50 ml 0.9% normal saline will be prepared as placebo for infusion and a syringe of 10ml 0.9% normal saline for bolus injection.

Drug: Saline

Ketamine 0.5mg/kg

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

A bolus injection of intravenous ketamine at a dose of 0.5mg/kg during anaesthetic induction before skin incision followed by 0.25mg/kg/hr intravenous ketamine infusion during the operation.

Drug: Ketamine 0.5mg/kg

Ketamine 0.75mg/kg

EXPERIMENTAL

A bolus injection of intravenous ketamine at a dose of 0.75mg/kg during anaesthetic induction before skin incision followed by 0.5mg/kg/hr intravenous ketamine infusion during the operation.

Drug: Ketamine 0.75mg/kg

Interventions

SalineDRUG

10ml bolus injection of saline followed by intravenous infusion of saline during the operation

Also known as: Control group
Saline

0.5mg/kg intravenous ketamine injection followed by 0.25mg/kg/hr intravenous ketamine infusion during the operation

Also known as: Group K1
Ketamine 0.5mg/kg

0.75mg/kg intravenous ketamine injection followed by 0.5mg/kg/hr intravenous ketamine infusion during the operation

Also known as: Group K2
Ketamine 0.75mg/kg

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 80 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • the American Society of Anesthesiologists adopted physical status classification system (ASA) I-III
  • Age 18-80 years old
  • Scheduled for 1) modified radical mastectomy (including axillary lymph node dissection) and 2) mastectomy with sentinel lymph node (without axillary dissection). These are the common surgical treatments for breast cancer.

You may not qualify if:

  • Radical mastectomy, wide local excision or lumpectomy
  • Known allergy to opioids, local anaesthetic drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) including COX-2 inhibitors
  • History of chronic pain
  • Alcohol or drug abuse
  • Impaired renal function, defined as preoperative serum creatinine level over 120 micromol/L
  • Pre-existing neurological or muscular disorders
  • Psychiatric illness
  • Impaired or retarded mental state
  • Not self ambulatory before operation
  • Difficulties in using patient controlled analgesia (PCA)
  • Pregnancy
  • Local infection
  • Patient refusal

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

The University of Hong Kong

Hong Kong, 0000, Hong Kong

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Chronic PainAcute Pain

Interventions

Sodium ChlorideControl GroupsKetamine

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

PainNeurologic ManifestationsSigns and SymptomsPathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

ChloridesHydrochloric AcidChlorine CompoundsInorganic ChemicalsSodium CompoundsEpidemiologic Research DesignEpidemiologic MethodsInvestigative TechniquesResearch DesignMethodsCyclohexanesCycloparaffinsHydrocarbons, AlicyclicHydrocarbons, CyclicHydrocarbonsOrganic Chemicals

Study Officials

  • Stanley SC Wong, MBBS

    The University of Hong Kong

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
phase 4
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Clinical Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

June 28, 2015

First Posted

April 6, 2016

Study Start

August 18, 2015

Primary Completion

June 1, 2024

Study Completion

June 1, 2024

Last Updated

May 10, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-05

Locations