NEW DELHI – Acupuncture may significantly reduce hot flashes and other hormonal side effects of endocrine therapy received by women with breast cancer, a study based on a pooled analysis of three clinical trials said on Monday.
Endocrine therapy helps block the hormone signaling that causes some breast cancers. Although it is a life-saving treatment, up to 80% of women experience hot flashes and other side effects after taking it, which lead them to stop treatment and increase their risk of cancer progression and death.
To explore the potential of acupuncture, researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the US conducted a coordinated multinational project consisting of three independent randomized controlled trials in the US, China and South Korea.
The analysis, published in CANCER, included 158 women with stages 0 to III breast cancer. The women were randomized to receive acupuncture twice weekly for 10 weeks in an immediate acupuncture group (IA) and then followed for 10 weeks in either a no-acupuncture group or a delayed acupuncture control group (DAC).
DAC participants received usual treatment for 10 weeks and then switched to reduced-intensity acupuncture (once a week) for 10 weeks.
After 10 weeks, 64% of people in the IA group reported an improvement in the number and severity of their hot flashes, compared with 18% in the DAC group.
Additionally, DAC participants who received weekly acupuncture treatments experienced significant improvements in symptom scores compared to week 10. No side effects were reported by any of the participants.
“By managing side effects, our approach may make it easier for patients to stick with their prescribed medications, reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and improve long-term outcomes for breast cancer survivors,” said lead author Weidong Lu of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Weidon also suggested that people interested in acupuncture should start with a “short trial period” and then “commit to a long-term programme” based on the results. (IANS)
