A pooled analysis of three clinical trials published online in a peer-reviewed journal found: cancer A Wiley study found that acupuncture significantly reduced hot flashes and other hormonal side effects in women undergoing endocrine therapy for breast cancer.
Endocrine therapy blocks the hormone signaling that drives some breast cancers and can be a life-saving treatment, but up to 80 percent of patients who receive endocrine therapy experience hot flashes and other side effects. These symptoms cause many patients to stop endocrine therapy, which can increase their risk of cancer progression or death.
Other medications can reduce hot flashes but have unpleasant side effects. A study evaluated the effect of acupuncture on hot flashes in women with early-stage breast cancer receiving endocrine therapy.
In this study, researchers conducted three independent randomized controlled trials in 158 women with stages 0-III breast cancer. Participants were divided into two groups: immediate acupuncture (IA) and delayed acupuncture control (DAC). Participants in the IA group received acupuncture twice a week for 10 weeks, followed by 10 weeks without acupuncture. The DAC group received treatment as usual for the first 10 weeks, then switched to weekly acupuncture for the next 10 weeks.
The researchers used standardized clinical questionnaires to assess hormonal symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness and joint pain, as well as aspects of quality of life, including physical, functional and emotional well-being.
After 10 weeks, the IA group experienced greater reductions in symptoms compared to the DAC group. Specifically, 64% of IA participants reported improvements in the number and severity of their hot flashes, compared to only 18% of the DAC group. The IA group also experienced greater improvements in their overall quality of life.
Between weeks 10 and 20, the scores of the IA group remained stable. However, the DAC group, who received weekly acupuncture treatments during this period, experienced a significant improvement in symptoms compared to their scores at week 10. Of note, no participants reported any side effects from acupuncture treatment.
“By managing side effects, our approach may help patients take their prescribed medications, reduce breast cancer recurrence and improve long-term outcomes for breast cancer survivors. Patients could start with a short-term trial of acupuncture to see if it reduces hot flashes and other symptoms. If it works, they could continue treatment regularly while on hormone-blocking therapy,” said lead author Weidong of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Reference: Weidong Lu MB, MPH, PhD, Anita Giobbie-Hurder MS, Anna Tanasijevic MPH, Sylvia Baedorf Kassis MPH, Sung Hwan Park MD, PhD, Young Ju Jeong MD; Acupuncture for hot flashes in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer: a pooled analysis of individual patient data from parallel randomized trials; Cancer; https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.35374
