Molassiotis, A., Bardy, J., Finnegan-John, J., Mackereth, P., Ryder, D. W., Filshie, J., . . . Richardson, A. (2012). Acupuncture for cancer-related fatigue in patients with breast cancer: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 30, 4470–4476.
To assess the effectiveness of acupuncture for cancer-related fatigue (CRF) in women with breast cancer.
Women were randomly assigned to acupuncture or enhanced usual care groups. Usual care enhancement consisted of providing a booklet about CRF, diet, exercise, and sleep. The intervention group was offered six acupuncture treatments over six weeks. Sessions lasted 20 minutes each and involved unilateral or bilateral needles at three points. No rotation or flicking of needles was performed. Patients were followed for 18 weeks. Outcome measures were recorded at six weeks.
The study has clinical applicability for late effects and survivorship.
The study was a randomized, controlled trial.
The difference score between the control and acupuncture groups for fatigue was –3.11 (95% confidence interval [CI] [–3.97, –2.25]; p < 0.001). Intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis, using an assumption of no improvement for patients whose week six outcome data were missing, continued to show a significant difference (–2.49; p < 0.001). Week six outcomes, as reflected in HADS and FACT-B scores, were significantly improved from baseline in patients who received acupuncture (p < 0.001).
Findings showed that acupuncture as provided was effective in reducing fatigue over a six-week period among survivors of breast cancer.
Findings showed that acupuncture was helpful in reducing fatigue in patients with breast cancer who had completed antitumor treatment. The study supports the effectiveness of acupuncture for the treatment of fatigue.