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Curcumin in Reducing Joint Pain in Breast Cancer Survivors With Aromatase Inhibitor-Induced Joint Disease

Curcumin for Breast Cancer Survivors With Aromatase Inhibitor-Induced Joint Arthropathy - A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Controlled Pilot Study

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03865992
Enrollment
42
Registered
2019-03-07
Start date
2019-03-04
Completion date
2026-09-08
Last updated
2025-11-07

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Breast Cancer, Joint Pain

Keywords

Breast cancer, curcumin, aromatase inhibitor, joint pain, arthropathy

Brief summary

This phase I trial studies how well curcumin works in reducing joint pain in patients who are breast cancer survivors and have joint disease caused by treatment with aromatase inhibitors. Curcumin is an ingredient of turmeric, a plant in the ginger family, which is commonly used in curries and South Asian and Middle Eastern cooking, and may decrease joint pain in patients with arthritis from other conditions (such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis).

Detailed description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To evaluate the feasibility of using Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Endocrine Symptoms (FACT-ES) scores to detect changes in AI-induced symptoms and well-being in postmenopausal women with breast cancer at 3 months of nanoemulsion curcumin (NEC) vs placebo SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. To evaluate Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH), Brief Pain Inventory, and Geriatric Assessment as secondary tools for monitoring AI-induced symptoms and well-being II. To evaluate adherence to a regimen of NEC vs placebo by postmenopausal women experiencing joint arthropathy induced by aromatase inhibitor therapy III. To obtain preliminary data regarding function in women with AI induced arthropathy (IA) by monitoring grip strength at 0 and 3 months of NEC versus placebo IV. To conduct exploratory analyses of blood based biomarkers in postmenopausal women with AI-induced arthropathy taking NEC vs placebo. OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms. ARM I: Patients receive nanoemulsion curcumin orally (PO) twice daily (BID) for up to 3 months in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. ARM II: Patients receive placebo PO BID for up to 3 months in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTCurcumin

Given capsules for oral administration

OTHERPlacebo

Given capsules for oral administration

OTHERNanoemulsion

Given nanoemulsion curcumin PO

OTHERQuality-of-Life Assessment

Ancillary studies

BEHAVIORALQuestionnaire

Ancillary studies

Sponsors

National Cancer Institute (NCI)
CollaboratorNIH
City of Hope Medical Center
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Women with histologically confirmed primary invasive adenocarcinoma of the breast, stages I-IIIA * Estrogen-receptor positive (ER+) and/or progesterone-receptor positive (PR+) breast cancer * Completion of definitive surgery with mastectomy or breast conserving therapy * Postmenopausal (no menses \>= 12 months) or on ovarian suppression in order to take AIs * Currently taking an Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved third-generation aromatase inhibitor (e.g., anastrozole \[Arimidex\], letrozole \[Femara\], or exemestane \[Aromasin\]) for \>= 90 days prior to registration with plans to continue for \>= 90 days after registration * Clinical symptoms of joint pain for at least 3 months prior to study entry that started or increased with AI therapy with Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) Worst Pain score \>= 4 (verbal response to BPI question 3 regarding the worst pain in the past 24 hours as 0 no pain to 10 pain as bad as you can imagine)

Exclusion criteria

* Prior malignancy =\< 5 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, in situ cervical cancer, ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast or adequately treated stage I or II cancer from which the patient is currently in complete remission * History of a bleeding tendency or current use of coumadin or other anticoagulants * Current or previous history of anemia * Current autoimmune, liver, hematopoietic, cardiac, or renal disease * Current viral, bacterial, atypical or fungal infections of any organ system * Concurrent use of immunosuppressant medications * Concurrent use of medications known to inhibit or induce hepatic enzyme CYP 3A4 (e.g. ketoconazole, macrolide antibiotics, barbiturates) * Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situation that would limit compliance with study requirements * Bone fracture or surgery of the affected joints, within 180 days of study entry * Medical therapy, alternative therapy, or physical therapy for joint pain/stiffness =\< 30 days of study entry * Intra-articular steroids =\< 90 days of study entry or oral/intramuscular corticosteroids \< 30 days of entry * Use of analgesics (e.g., opiates, tramadol with the exception of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs \[NSAIDs\] and acetaminophen) within 14 days prior to registration, or at any time during the 3-month study period * Chronic use of any herbal or dietary supplement containing curcumin or curcuminoids =\< 3 months of study entry or any other supplements that might interact with NEC (e.g. St. John's Wort) * Known sensitivity or allergy to turmeric spices or curry

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Changes in aromatase inhibitor-induced symptoms and overall wellbeing in postmenopausal women on aromatase inhibitor therapyUp to 3 monthsThe study will assess the feasibility of using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Endocrine Symptoms (FACT-ES) to detect changes in aromatase inhibitor (AI)-induced symptoms and well-being in postmenopausal women with breast cancer randomized to 3 months of nanoemulsion curcumin (NEC) versus (vs) placebo capsules.
Change in Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) pain scoreBaseline up to 3 monthsThe scores obtained from the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) and BPI, and FACT-ES assessments will be plotted over time for each arm. The agreement between these instruments will be evaluated using Altman and Bland plot after proper data transformation.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in FACT-ES scoreBaseline up to 3 monthsThe scores obtained from the BPI, DASH, and FACT-ES assessments will be plotted over time for each arm. The agreement between these instruments will be evaluated using Altman and Bland plot after proper data transformation
Incidence of adverse eventsUp to 30 days post study-drug assessmentAdverse events will be characterized using the descriptions and grading scales found in the most recent version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0.
Change in DASH scoreBaseline up to 3 monthsThe scores obtained from the BPI, DASH, and FACT-ES assessments will be plotted over time for each arm. The agreement between these instruments will be evaluated using Altman and Bland plot after proper data transformation.

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
Blood based biomarker analysisUp to 3 monthsThe study will explore the relationship between specific inflammatory blood markers, grip strength, and the joint symptoms evaluated by the patient reported outcome measures. The relationship between plasma curcumin and these measures will also be evaluated. Scatter plots and correlation coefficients (either Pearson or Spearman) will be used to summarize their pair wise relation. The differences between the treatment and placebo in terms of these measures will also be reported using numerical summaries and graphic plots.
Adherence ratesUp to 3 monthsAdherence rates will be examined using pill counts each month and patient recorded daily logs. Plasma curcumin will be compared to daily logs and pill count data as another potential measure of adherence.
Joint symptoms occurrenceUp to 3 monthsThe study will use logistic regression models to compare the occurrence of moderate to severe joint symptoms during the 3 month period between the two study groups, with potential covariates including geriatric assessment (GA), age, body mass index, baseline pain scores (0 month), prior chemotherapy e.g. taxanes, time to menopause/ovarian suppression. Summary statistics will be generated using the data obtained from the T0 and T3 study visits where grip strength dynamometry completed. Temporal as well as other relevant correlations between the data and the validated assessment scores will be determined.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 9, 2026