Scrambler Therapy in Reducing Pain in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer

Inclusion Criteria

• English speakers
• Documented pancreas cancer by cytology, or histology
• Pain in the abdomen with an average daily pain rating of >= 4 out of 10, using the following question from the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI): “Please rate your pain by circling the one number that best describes your (abdominal) pain/discomfort on average over the past week (Scale 0-10; 0= No pain, 10= Pain as bad as you can imagine)”
• Must have a life expectancy > 5 days
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4
• The patient must be able to understand the study regimen, its requirements, risks, and discomforts, and is able and willing to sign an informed consent form

Exclusion Criteria

• Pregnant women, nursing women, women of childbearing potential or their sexual partners who are unwilling to employ adequate contraception (condoms, diaphragm, birth control pills, injections, intrauterine device [IUD], surgical sterilization, subcutaneous implants, abstinence, etc.)
• Use of an investigational agent for pain control concurrently or within the past 30 days
• Receipt of radiation to the abdomen for any reason during the planned 10-day treatment time
• History of an allergic reaction or previous intolerance to transcutaneous electronic nerve stimulation
• Patients with implantable drug delivery systems, e.g. Medtronic Synchromed
• Patients with heart stents or metal implants such as pacemakers, automatic defibrillators, cochlear implants, aneurysm clips, vena cava clips and skull plates (metal implants for orthopedic repair, e.g. pins, clips, plates, cages, joint replacements are allowed)
• Medical exclusions include: patients with a history of myocardial infarction or ischemic heart disease within the past six months; patients with history of epilepsy, brain damage, or symptomatic brain metastases; skin conditions such as open sores that would prevent proper application of the electrodes; or other medical or other condition(s) that in the opinion of the investigators might compromise the objectives of the study
• Patients currently receiving anti-convulsants (such as gabapentinoids, e.g. gabapentin (Neurontin) or pregabalin (Lyrica) will be tapered off these medications over 7 days; the study team will provide instructions on how to do this