Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: A Phase III Double Blind Trial of Oral Duloxetine for Treatment of Pain Associated With Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
Brief Summary: RATIONALE: Duloxetine may lessen peripheral neuropathy caused by chemotherapy. It is not yet known whether duloxetine is more effective than a placebo in treating peripheral neuropathy caused by chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying duloxetine to see how well it works compared with a placebo in treating peripheral neuropathy caused by chemotherapy in patients with cancer.


Options:
A: DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Patients must be women with histologically confirmed estrogen receptor (ER)- and/or progesterone receptor (PgR)-positive invasive carcinoma of the breast with no evidence of metastatic disease (M0)
* Patients must have completed mastectomy or breast-sparing surgery and must have recovered from all side effects of the surgery
* Patients must have aromatase inhibitor (AI)-associated musculoskeletal symptoms that began or increased after starting AI therapy; new musculoskeletal pain must not be due specifically to fracture or traumatic injury
* Patients must have completed the S1202 Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form (BPI-SF) within 7 days prior to registration; patients must have an "average pain" of at least 4 on the BPI-SF

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* Patients must be post-menopausal, as defined by at least one of the following:

  * At least 12 months since the last menstrual period
  * Prior bilateral oophorectomy
  * Previous hysterectomy with one or both ovaries left in place (or previous hysterectomy in which documentation of bilateral oophorectomy is unavailable) AND follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) values consistent with the institutional normal values for the post menopausal state; if patient is under the age of 55, FSH levels must be obtained within 28 days prior to registration OR
  * Have been on LHRH agonist therapy for at least 3 months and estradiol levels drawn within 28 days prior to registration are consistent with the institutional normal values for post-menopausal state.
* Patients must have Zubrod performance status of 0-2
* Patients must have no known allergy or hypersensitivity to duloxetine or any of the inactive ingredients in the matching placebo
* Patients must not have any contraindicated concurrent illnesses listed on the duloxetine package insert including:

  * Current primary psychiatric diagnosis (schizophrenia, psychosis) or suicidal ideation, history of bipolar disorder, or seizure disorder
  * History of alcohol or other substance abuse or dependence within 365 days prior to registration
  * Chronic liver disease
  * End-stage renal disease
  * Uncontrolled narrow-angle glaucoma
  * Clinically significant coagulation disorder
* Creatinine clearance \> 30 mL/min
* Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) both within 3 x upper limit of normal
* Total bilirubin within the upper limit of normal
* Patients must be able to complete study questionnaires in English or Spanish
* Patients must not have concurrent medical/arthritic disease that could confound or interfere with evaluation of pain or efficacy including: inflammatory arthritis (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus, spondyloarthropathy, psoriatic arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica), or cancer involving the bone
* Patients must be willing to submit blood samples for correlative studies; baseline samples must be obtained prior to beginning protocol treatment

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* See Disease Characteristics
* If patients were treated with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, these treatments must be completed at least 28 days prior to study registration
* Concurrent bisphosphonate and trastuzumab therapies are allowed
* Patients should have recovered from all Grade 2 or higher side effects of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy with the exception of alopecia and peripheral neuropathy
* Patients must currently be taking one of the following aromatase inhibitor (AI) doses for at least 21 days, but no longer than 12 months, prior to registration and plans to continue for at least an additional 180 days after registration

  * Anastrozole (Arimidex®) 1 mg daily
  * Letrozole (Femara®) 2.5 mg daily
  * Exemestane (Aromasin®) 25 mg daily
* Patients must not be taking any contraindicated medications listed on the duloxetine package insert including the following: treatment with phenothiazines, propafenone, flecainide, or linezolid; treatment with monoamine oxidase (MAO)-inhibitor within 14 days prior to registration; or current use of anticoagulation medication (e.g., heparin, warfarin)
* Patients must not require selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin and norepinephirine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), or tricyclic antidepressants during study participation; patients must have been able to taper and discontinue treatment with these medications at least 7 days prior to registration; patients must not have taken duloxetine or milnacipran within 90 days prior to registration
* Patients who are receiving treatment with narcotics, tramadol, gabapentin, and/or pregabalin must have been taking a stable dose for at least 30 days prior to registration
B: Inclusion Criteria:

* meet criteria from primary FMS as defined by the ACR: widespread aching pain in all four quadrants of the body and axial skeleton and greater than or equal to 11 of 18 tender points under digital palpation examination
* measure average pain item of the BPI at Visits 1 and 2

Exclusion Criteria:

* have pain symptoms related to traumatic injury, structural rheumatic disease, or regional rheumatic disease that will interfere with interpretation of outcome measures
* have regional pain syndrome, multiple surgeries or failed back syndrome
* have confirmed current or previous diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory arthritis, or infectious arthritis, or an autoimmune disease (i.e. systemic lupus erythematosus)
* have current primary Axis I diagnosis other than major depressive disorder (MDD), including a current diagnosis of dysthymia
C: DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Diagnosis of cancer

  * CNS malignancy allowed with the exception of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis
* Must have painful sensory chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) resulting from prior treatment with single-agent taxane or platinum agents (paclitaxel, docetaxel, nab-paclitaxel, oxaliplatin, cisplatin) (may not have received drugs from both classes)

  * CIPN \> grade 1 as measured by NCI-CTCAE v 4.0
  * Average neuropathic pain score ≥ 4
* Patients with the following illnesses known to cause peripheral neuropathy are eligible, provided they have no evidence of neuropathy from these illnesses:

  * Diabetes mellitus
  * Peripheral vascular disease
  * HIV infection
  * Significant degenerative or familial neurologic disorder known to cause peripheral neuropathy
* No clinical or subclinical neuropathy from nerve compression injuries (i.e., carpal tunnel syndrome, brachial plexopathy, spinal stenosis, or spinal nerve root compression)

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* AST ≤ 3 times upper limit of normal
* Total bilirubin ≤ normal
* Creatinine clearance \> 30 mL/min
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Able to take oral or enteral medication
* No history of seizure disorder
* No diagnosis of ethanol addiction or dependence within the past 10 years
* No history of narrow-angle glaucoma
* None of the following:

  * History of suicidal thoughts
  * Symptoms of or history of schizophrenia, bipolar disease, or a major depression
  * Serious eating disorder such as bulimia or anorexia where electrolyte imbalance is likely

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* At least 3 months since prior and no concurrent taxane or platinum agent
* At least 14 days since prior and no concurrent monoamine oxidase inhibitors or other antidepressants
* No other prior or concurrent neurotoxic drugs (e.g., vincristine, vinblastine, cytarabine, thalidomide, bortezomib, carboplatin, or procarbazine)
* No concurrent anticonvulsants
* No concurrent B or E vitamin supplementation in doses greater than the recommended daily allowance (RDA)

  * Centrum (standard formula) and One-A-Day "essential" formula which contain 100% RDA for vitamins B6, E, and B12 allowed
  * Other multivitamins allowed provided they contain no more than 100% RDA of B vitamins and vitamin E
* No concurrent treatment (pharmacologic) for depression
D: Inclusion Criteria:

* Age ≥ 18 years
* Women with a history of stage I-IIIa invasive breast cancer
* History of hormone-receptor positive cancer (either ER + or PR + or both)
* Are prescribed and are taking anastrozole, letrozole or exemestane for at least one month and have at least 7 months of AI treatment remaining
* Are experiencing AIMSS

Exclusion Criteria:

* Unable to read or understand English
* History of psychiatric disability affecting informed consent or compliance with drug intake
* Malabsorption syndrome or inability to take oral medication
* Has less than 7 months of AI therapy remaining

Answer: C