Acupuncture improves health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) and sleep in women with breast cancer and hot flushes

Frisk, Jessica; Källström, Ann-Christine; Wall, Najme; Fredrikson, Mats; Hammar, Mats

doi:10.1007/s00520-011-1134-8

Cited by 78 publications

(109 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Contradictory results have been published by randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effects of acupuncture on alleviating menopause-related sleep disturbances. [6][7][8][9][10] Furthermore, considering that sleep disturbances are strongly associated with the levels of sex hormone levels, researchers have studied the response of sex hormones to acupuncture in women experiencing menopause-related symptoms and have published conflicting results. [11][12][13] However, the effect of acupuncture on menopause-related sleep disturbances and whether the effectiveness of acupuncture in managing menopause-related sleep disturbances is affected by acupuncture-induced changes in sex hormones levels remain unclear.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Acupuncture to Reduce Sleep Disturbances in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women

Chiu¹,

Hsieh²,

Tsai³

2016

Obstetrics &Amp; Gynecology

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Acupuncture to Reduce Sleep Disturbances in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women

Chiu¹,

Hsieh²,

Tsai³

2016

Obstetrics &Amp; Gynecology

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“…In the study by Frisk et al, 17 sleep improvements appeared largely related to reduction in hot flash symptoms. As a result, it is unclear from the study by Frisk et al 17 whether acupuncture had a direct impact on sleep disturbance. Of note, Feng et al 16 was the only study evaluating sleep to use a Chinese medicine differential diagnosis (phlegm stasis binding) as diagnostic criteria.…”

Section: Sleep Disturbancementioning

confidence: 90%

“…In this study, 10 women with breast cancer who were experiencing sleep disturbance and hot flashes received 3 acupuncture sessions in a single arm design. Otte Frisk et al 17 conducted this study when hormone therapy was still an acceptable treatment for this population, which it is no longer. 6 Sleep parameters improved significantly in both studies, with acupuncture superior to fluoxetine and equivalent to hormone therapy.…”

Section: Sleep Disturbancementioning

confidence: 99%

Acupuncture in the Treatment of Cancer-Related Psychological Symptoms

Haddad

Palesh

2014

Integr Cancer Ther

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Acupuncture is being adopted by cancer patients for a wide range of cancer-related symptoms including highly prevalent psychological symptoms like depression, anxiety, insomnia, and impairment in quality of life. Pharmacological treatment of prevalent symptoms like anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance can contribute to the high chemical burden already carried by cancer patients, creating additional side effects. As a result, patients and providers alike are interested in evidence-based nonpharmacologic alternatives like acupuncture for these symptoms. This article reviews the current literature (January 2000 through April 2013) for acupuncture in cancer-related psychological symptoms with attention to both efficacy and acupuncture-specific methodology. All published studies that met our review criteria demonstrate a positive signal for acupuncture for the treatment of depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and for improving quality of life with most results showing statistical significance. However, there are only a handful of acupuncture studies that were specifically designed to evaluate depression, sleep disturbance, and quality of life as primary outcomes, and no studies were found that looked at anxiety as a primary outcome in this population. Published studies in cancer patients and survivors show that acupuncture treatment is not only safe but also more acceptable with fewer side effects than standard of care pharmacological treatments like antidepressants. Finally, there is wide variability in both the implementation and reporting of acupuncture methods in the literature, with only 2 of 12 studies reporting full details of acupuncture methods as outlined in the revised Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture guidelines, published in 2010 and providing an essential framework for the reporting of acupuncture methodology. This lack of methodological detail affects outcomes, generalizability, and validity of research involving acupuncture. Reasons for ongoing challenges in the development of high-quality acupuncture trials are discussed. In conclusion, results are encouraging for the development of randomized trials to directly evaluate the therapeutic impact of acupuncture in cancer-related psychological symptoms, including depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and quality of life, but attention to acupuncture methodological specific challenges in the development of high-quality research is necessary.

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“…20,22,24 Several recent trials have shown that acupuncture, a therapy originating from Traditional Chinese Medicine, is an effective treatment for hot flashes in breast cancer survivors with few, if any, side effects. 25–29 Compared to sham-acupuncture and no treatment control groups, acupuncture demonstrated a clear improvement in hot flash frequency in a double blind randomized controlled trial of 94 women post-treatment for breast cancer. 30 Acupuncture has also been shown to be more effective than self-care alone for reducing hot flash frequency and intensity, an effect that was maintained at the 12 month follow-up assessment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…33 Several of the above trials also reported improved sleep as a secondary outcome. 25,26,30,31 However, rigorously conducted trials with larger sample sizes and the inclusion of active comparison interventions are required before making definitive statements about the efficacy of acupuncture in improving sleep disturbance related to hot flashes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative effectiveness of electro-acupuncture versus gabapentin for sleep disturbances in breast cancer survivors with hot flashes: a randomized trial

Garland

Xie²,

et al. 2017

Menopause

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Objective Sleep disturbance is a major consequence of hot flashes among breast cancer survivors. This study evaluated the effects of electro-acupuncture vs. gabapentin for sleep disturbances among breast cancer survivors experiencing daily hot flashes. Methods We analyzed data from a randomized controlled trial involving 58 breast cancer survivors experiencing bothersome hot flashes at least two times per day. Participants were randomly assigned to receive eight weeks of electro-acupuncture or daily gabapentin (total dose of 900 mg per day). The primary outcome was change in the total Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score between groups at Week 8. Secondary outcomes include specific PSQI domains. Results By the end of treatment at Week 8, the mean reduction in PSQI total score was significantly greater in the electro-acupuncture group as compared to the gabapentin group (−2.6 vs. −0.8, p=0.044). The electro-acupuncture also had improved sleep latency (−0.5 vs. 0.1, p=0.041) and sleep efficiency (−0.6 vs. 0.0, p=0.05) compared to the gabapentin group. By Week 8, the electro-acupuncture group improved sleep duration, sleep disturbance, sleep latency, daytime dysfunction, sleep efficiency, and sleep quality (p<0.05 for all) compared to baseline, whereas the gabapentin group improved in duration and sleep quality only (p<0.05). Conclusions Among women experiencing hot flashes, the effects of electro-acupuncture are comparable to gabapentin for improving sleep quality, specifically in the areas of sleep latency and efficiency. Larger randomized controlled trials with longer follow-ups are needed to confirm this preliminary finding. Clinical Trial Registration NCT01013337

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Acupuncture improves health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) and sleep in women with breast cancer and hot flushes

Cited by 78 publications

References 45 publications

Acupuncture to Reduce Sleep Disturbances in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women

Acupuncture to Reduce Sleep Disturbances in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women

Acupuncture in the Treatment of Cancer-Related Psychological Symptoms

Comparative effectiveness of electro-acupuncture versus gabapentin for sleep disturbances in breast cancer survivors with hot flashes: a randomized trial

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