Randomized, controlled trial of acupuncture for the treatment of hot flashes in breast cancer patients.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the immediate and long-term effects of true acupuncture versus sham acupuncture on hot flash frequency in women with breast cancer.


METHODS
Seventy-two women with breast cancer experiencing three or more hot flashes per day were randomly assigned to receive either true or sham acupuncture. Interventions were given twice weekly for 4 consecutive weeks. Hot flash frequency was evaluated at baseline, at 6 weeks, and at 6 months after initiation of treatment. Patients initially randomly assigned to the sham group were crossed over to true acupuncture starting at week 7.


RESULTS
The mean number of hot flashes per day was reduced from 8.7 (standard deviation [SD], 3.9) to 6.2 (SD, 4.2) in the true acupuncture group and from 10.0 (SD, 6.1) to 7.6 (SD, 5.7) in the sham group. True acupuncture was associated with 0.8 fewer hot flashes per day than sham at 6 weeks, but the difference did not reach statistical significance (95% CI, -0.7 to 2.4; P = .3). When participants in the sham acupuncture group were crossed over to true acupuncture, a further reduction in the frequency of hot flashes was seen. This reduction in hot flash frequency persisted for up to 6 months after the completion of treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Hot flash frequency in breast cancer patients was reduced following acupuncture. However, when compared with sham acupuncture, the reduction by the acupuncture regimen as provided in the current study did not reach statistical significance. We cannot exclude the possibility that a longer and more intense acupuncture intervention could produce a larger reduction of these symptoms.
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1429 First Ave, New York, NY 10021, USA. dengg@mskcc.org
Gary
G
Deng
Andrew
A
Vickers
Simon
S
Yeung
Gabriella M
GM
D'Andrea
Han
H
Xiao
Alexandra S
AS
Heerdt
Steven
S
Sugarman
Tiffany
T
Troso-Sandoval
Andrew D
AD
Seidman
Clifford A
CA
Hudis
Barrie
B
Cassileth
D026881:Acupuncture / Q000379:methods*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D019584:Hot Flashes / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D017741:Survivors; D016896:Treatment Outcome