Key Takeaways
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Acupuncture can reduce hot flashes associated with hormone therapy for breast cancer
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Approximately 64% of breast cancer patients who received acupuncture reported a reduction in the frequency and intensity of their hot flashes.
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Hormone therapy blocks the effects of estrogen and other hormones that may cause some breast cancers.
THURSDAY, June 27, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Acupuncture may help breast cancer patients relieve hot flashes that often accompany hormone therapy, according to a new clinical trial.
Approximately two in three women who received acupuncture while undergoing hormone therapy reported a reduction in the frequency and severity of their hot flashes, the study found.
Hormone therapy blocks the effects of estrogen and other hormones that may cause some breast cancers.
Unfortunately, researchers say, four in five patients (80 percent) experience hot flashes and other side effects related to hormone deficiency, which leads some patients to stop hormone therapy and increases their risk of cancer progression and death.
“By managing side effects, our approach may make it easier for patients to continue taking their prescribed medications, reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence and improve long-term outcomes for breast cancer survivors,” researcher Weidong Lu, chief oncology acupuncturist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, said in a news release.
For the study, researchers recruited 158 women with early- to advanced-stage breast cancer who were receiving hormone therapy. Half were randomly assigned to receive acupuncture twice a week for 10 weeks.
Results showed that about 64% of women who received acupuncture reported an improvement in the frequency and severity of their hot flashes, compared with 18% of women who did not receive acupuncture. They also reported a significant improvement in their quality of life.
After 10 weeks, the women who were not initially selected also received acupuncture and reported significant improvements in symptoms caused by the hormone therapy, according to the researchers.
No side effects have been reported from acupuncture.
“In practice, patients interested in acupuncture for this purpose might start with a short-term trial period to assess their response to treatment, particularly in terms of reducing hot flashes and other symptoms,” Lu said. “If the trial period shows positive results, patients might then enter a longer-term program of receiving acupuncture regularly for the duration of their antihormonal therapy.”
The new study was published June 24 in the journal Cancer.
For more information
The Cleveland Clinic has more information on hot flashes .
Source: American Cancer Society, news release, June 24, 2024
What this means for you
Acupuncture can help women manage hot flashes and other side effects caused by hormone therapy for breast cancer.
