An exploratory study on the effectiveness of “Calmare therapy” in patients with cancer-related neuropathic pain: A pilot study

- Calmare therapy improved pain in patients with cancer-related neuropathic pain.
- Calmare therapy improved quality of life in patients with neuropathic cancer pain.
- Consumption of rescue opioid decreased at two-week follow-up after Calmare therapy.
- Calmare therapy can be considered for patients with cancer-related neuropathic pain.

PurposeCalmare therapy (CT) has been suggested as a novel treatment for managing chronic pain. Recently, it was reported to show a positive therapeutic outcome for managing neuropathic pain condition. We performed an exploratory prospective study on the effectiveness of CT in patients with various types of cancer-related neuropathic pain (CNP).MethodWe performed an open-labeled, single-arm, exploratory study on the effectiveness of CT in patients with various types of cancer-related neuropathic pain (CNP). The primary endpoint was a comparison of the 11-point Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) pain score at one month with the baseline score in each patient. Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) and consumption of opioid were also evaluated during follow-up period.ResultsCT significantly decreased NRS pain score at one month from baseline (p < 0.001) in 20 patients with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (n = 6), metastatic bone pain (n = 7), and post-surgical neuropathic pain (n = 7). It also improved overall BPI scores, decreased consumption of rescue opioid (p = 0.050), and was found satisfactory by a half of patients (n = 10, 50.0%).ConclusionsOur preliminary results suggest that CT may be considered for cancer patients with various types of CNP. Large studies are necessary to confirm our findings and ascertain which additional CNP show positive response to CT.