NCT04036994

Brief Summary

Chemotherapy (CT) remains an important treatment modality for breast cancer patients. Unfortunately, this systemic treatment comes with many quality of life impairing complications. Chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) occurs in about 65% of the patients. Hair loss due to CT is reversible, but hair regrowth requires several months to a year after CT. Currently, the only available preventive measure is based on scalp cooling. Nevertheless, this treatment has a highly variable success rate and it brings along several side effects. Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) is a new, preventive and therapeutic technique in the supportive care of cancer patients. It uses visible and (near)- infrared light produced by laser diodes or light-emitting diodes (LED) at a low power to stimulate tissue repair and reduce inflammation and pain. The investigator's research team demonstrated already that PBMT can prevent oral mucositis and acute radiodermatitis. The aim of this project is to explore the use of PBMT in the management of CIA. Results of this project will lead to an improvement of the patients' quality of life after CT.

Trial Health

43
At Risk

Trial Health Score

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

Trial has exceeded expected completion date
Enrollment
30

participants targeted

Target at below P25 for not_applicable breast-cancer

Timeline
Completed

Started Jun 2020

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
unknown

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

July 25, 2019

Completed
5 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

July 30, 2019

Completed
11 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

June 17, 2020

Completed
2 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

June 30, 2022

Completed
6 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

December 31, 2022

Completed
Last Updated

March 23, 2022

Status Verified

March 1, 2022

Enrollment Period

2 years

First QC Date

July 25, 2019

Last Update Submit

March 8, 2022

Conditions

Keywords

photomodulation therapysupportive cancer careepirubicin cyclophosphamide

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

  • visual analogue scale (VAS)

    A mechanical visual analogue scale (VAS) will be used to evaluate the patients' hair regrowth based on photographs taken at the four time points. The patients will be asked to indicate their subjective experience of hair regrowth. This score is associated with a certain score, in which 0 = 'total baldness' and 10 = 'full scalp coverage'.

    Baseline

  • visual analogue scale (VAS)

    A mechanical visual analogue scale (VAS) will be used to evaluate the patients' hair regrowth based on photographs taken at the four time points. The patients will be asked to indicate their subjective experience of hair regrowth. This score is associated with a certain score, in which 0 = 'total baldness' and 10 = 'full scalp coverage'.

    Month 1

  • visual analogue scale (VAS)

    A mechanical visual analogue scale (VAS) will be used to evaluate the patients' hair regrowth based on photographs taken at the four time points. The patients will be asked to indicate their subjective experience of hair regrowth. This score is associated with a certain score, in which 0 = 'total baldness' and 10 = 'full scalp coverage'.

    Month 2

  • visual analogue scale (VAS)

    A mechanical visual analogue scale (VAS) will be used to evaluate the patients' hair regrowth based on photographs taken at the four time points. The patients will be asked to indicate their subjective experience of hair regrowth. This score is associated with a certain score, in which 0 = 'total baldness' and 10 = 'full scalp coverage'.

    Month 3

Secondary Outcomes (9)

  • EORTC QLQ-C30 Quality of life questionnaire

    Baseline

  • EORTC QLQ-C30 Quality of life questionnaire

    Month 1

  • EORTC QLQ-C30 Quality of life questionnaire

    Month 2

  • EORTC QLQ-C30 Quality of life questionnaire

    Month 3

  • QLQ-BR23 Quality of life questionnaire

    Baseline

  • +4 more secondary outcomes

Study Arms (2)

Experimental: Treatment group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR
Device: Photobiomodulation therapy

Control group (no intervention)

NO INTERVENTION

Interventions

All patients will undergo photobiomodulation therapy sessions three times a week for the total duration of 12 weeks starting at their last CT administration.

Also known as: Low level laser therapy
Experimental: Treatment group

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years+
Sexfemale(Gender-based eligibility)
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Informed Consent as documented by signature.
  • Age 18 years or above
  • Female
  • Use of a wig for at least 2 hours a day
  • Able to read and converse in Dutch
  • Skin type I to IV on the Fitzpatrick Skin Type Scale
  • Diagnosis of non-invasive (stage 0) or invasive (stage 1, 2 and 3A) breast adenocarcinoma.
  • Treatment with neoadjuvant (preoperative) or adjuvant (postoperative) chemotherapy: anthracycline and taxane containing (paclitaxel or docetaxel) chemotherapy regimen.
  • Diagnosed with CIA grade 2 according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE)
  • Have no documented or observable psychiatric or neurological disorders that might interfere with study participation (e.g., dementia or psychosis).

You may not qualify if:

  • Metastatic disease
  • Severe or unstable cardio- respiratory or musculoskeletal disease
  • Pregnancy
  • Presence of cognitive impairment that might impact study outcomes
  • Previously (before start of chemotherapy) diagnosed with a hair loss condition
  • Receiving scalp cooling during chemotherapy
  • Active infection on the scalp
  • Chronic dermatologic condition (e.g. eczema, psoriasis, infection)
  • Take any of the following medications for 6 months prior to initiation of the study: minoxidil, finasteride (or any other 5α-reductase inhibitor medications), medications with anti-androgenic properties (e.g. cyproterone, spironolactone, ketoconazole, flutamide and bicalutamide)n medications that can potentially cause hypertrichosis (ciclosporin, diazoxide, phenytoin and psoralens), and oral glucocorticoids

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Jessa Ziekenhuis

Hasselt, 3500, Belgium

RECRUITING

Related Publications (1)

  • Lodewijckx J, Robijns J, Claes M, Pierson M, Lenaerts M, Mebis J. The use of photobiomodulation therapy for the management of chemotherapy-induced alopecia: a randomized, controlled trial (HAIRLASER trial). Support Care Cancer. 2023 Apr 15;31(5):269. doi: 10.1007/s00520-023-07743-1.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Breast NeoplasmsAlopecia

Interventions

Low-Level Light Therapy

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Neoplasms by SiteNeoplasmsBreast DiseasesSkin DiseasesSkin and Connective Tissue DiseasesHypotrichosisHair DiseasesPathological Conditions, AnatomicalPathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Laser TherapyTherapeuticsPhototherapy

Study Officials

  • Jeroen Mebis, prof. dr.

    Jessa Hospital

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
  • Joy Lodewijckx, drs.

    Hasselt University

    STUDY CHAIR

Central Study Contacts

Jeroen Mebis, prof. dr.

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
SINGLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

July 25, 2019

First Posted

July 30, 2019

Study Start

June 17, 2020

Primary Completion

June 30, 2022

Study Completion

December 31, 2022

Last Updated

March 23, 2022

Record last verified: 2022-03

Locations