---
title: PENS or TENS for Pain in Liver Cancer
nct_id: NCT03338543
overall_status: COMPLETED
phase: NA
sponsor: Fuda Cancer Hospital, Guangzhou
study_type: INTERVENTIONAL
primary_condition: Pain
countries: China
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/agent/trials/NCT03338543.md"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03338543"
ct_last_update_post_date: 2019-09-12
last_seen_at: "2026-05-12T07:34:34.393Z"
source: ClinicalTrials.gov (mirrored, no enrichment)
---
# PENS or TENS for Pain in Liver Cancer

**Official Title:** Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation or Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation for Pain in Patients With Liver Cancer

**NCT ID:** [NCT03338543](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03338543)

## Key Facts

- **Status:** COMPLETED
- **Phase:** NA
- **Study Type:** INTERVENTIONAL
- **Target Enrollment:** 36
- **Lead Sponsor:** Fuda Cancer Hospital, Guangzhou
- **Conditions:** Pain, Cancer Pain, Liver Neoplasms
- **Start Date:** 2017-11-01
- **Completion Date:** 2019-08-30
- **CT.gov Last Update:** 2019-09-12

## Brief Summary

This study evaluates the effect of percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (PENS) and transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TENS) for pain relieving in patients with liver cancer. Patients will randomly allocated into PENS group, Tens group and control group.

## Detailed Description

PENS and TENS have been reported with analgesic effect in patients with pain, including cancer pain, lower back pain, neck pain, stomachache and so on. Effect and mechanism of PENS on pain relieving has been widely researched. With additional electrical stimulation in certain frequency and intensity to conventional acupuncture, pain controlling effect has been largely enhanced. However, invasive operation limits its application and acceptability, especially on pancreatic cancer. TENS is an advanced technique generated from PENS, which is much more welcome for its noninvasive character. Further more, its analgesic effect on cancer pain has been proved by several multi-central, randomized, clinical trials.

## Eligibility

- **Minimum age:** 18 Years
- **Maximum age:** 70 Years
- **Sex:** ALL
- **Healthy Volunteers:** No

```
Inclusion Criteria:

* Primary liver cancer with pain;
* Haven't underwent neurolytic celiac plexus block in the past 1 month;
* With anticipatory survival of more than 3 months.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Metastatic liver cancer;
* Can not tolerate a flat or side lying or sitting prostrate for 30 min;
* performance score\>3;
* Who has been recruited in other clinical trial for pain relieving;
* Who underwent radiotherapy or local radioactive seeds implantation for pain relieving in the past month;
* Imaging diagnosed with encephalic tumor or metastasis;
* Who with cardiac pacemaker or metal stand;
```

## Arms

- **percutaneous stimulation** (EXPERIMENTAL) — PENS in 2/100 hertz (HZ), 30 min for each time, twice a day, for 3 days. With conventional analgesic medication if necessary.
- **transcutaneous stimulation** (EXPERIMENTAL) — TENS in 2/100 HZ, 30 min for each time, twice a day, for 3 days. With conventional analgesic medication if necessary.
- **Control** (NO_INTERVENTION) — Conventional analgesic medication is offered.

## Interventions

- **PENS** (DEVICE) — percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation
- **TENS** (DEVICE) — transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation

## Primary Outcomes

- **pain score** _(time frame: day0 to day6)_ — pain score assessed via visual analogue scale (VAS)

## Secondary Outcomes

- **quantity of analgesic medication** _(time frame: day0 to Day6)_
- **times of breakthrough pain (BTP)** _(time frame: day0 to day6)_

## Locations (1)

- Fuda Cancer Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

## Recent Field Changes (last 30 days)

- `status.overallStatus` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.primaryCompletionDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.completionDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.lastUpdatePostDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `design.phases` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `design.enrollmentCount` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.criteria` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.minAge` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.maxAge` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.sex` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `outcomes.primary` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `outcomes.secondary` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `armsInterventions.arms` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `armsInterventions.interventions` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `sponsor.lead` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `results.hasResults` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `locations.fuda cancer hospital|guangzhou|guangdong|china` — added _(2026-05-12)_

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/agent/trials/NCT03338543.md*  
*Source data (authoritative): https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03338543*  
*This page is a raw mirror with no AI summary, no editorial enrichment, and no Parkinson's-specific filtering.*