Acupuncture may reduce pain in Breast Cancer patients in drug use—A study published in JAMA

Practice and effects of Acupuncture has been tested in wide range and results always vary in different aspacts. A recent study showed that acupuncture may reduce joint pain related to hormone-treatments among women in early stage of breast cancer. Results was published in JAMA last month.

Aromatase inhibitor is a class of drugs and commonly used in treatments for patients with hormone-sensitive breast cancer, side effects of which include an increased risk for developing osteoporosis and joint disorders such as arthritis, arthrosis, and joint pain.

In this multicenter randomized clinical trial（RCT）of 226 women with early-stage breast cancer, patients in the acupuncture group, compared with those in the sham acupuncture group or the waitlist control group, had significant reductions in changes in joint pain scores from baseline to 6 weeks (between-group difference vs sham acupuncture, 0.92 points and 0.96 points vs the waitlist control group.

Acupuncture is used to treat wide range of symptoms and conditions associated with side effects of cancer treatments. Many cancer centers in Australia, including Although acupuncture is side effect free, further trials are likely to be carried out and conclusions slowly tied together.

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Reference

Dawn L. Hershman, MD, MS1; Joseph M. Unger, PhD, MS2,3; Heather Greenlee, ND, PhD2; et al, Effect of Acupuncture vs Sham Acupuncture or Waitlist Control on Joint Pain Related to Aromatase Inhibitors Among Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer JAMA. 2018;320(2):167-176. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.8907