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Lu W, Giobbie-Hurder A, Tanasijevic A, Kassis SB, Park SH, Jeong YJ, Shin IH, Yao C, Jung HJ, Zhu Z, Bao C, Bao T, Yang E, Bierer BE, Ligibel JA. Acupuncture for hot flashes in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer: A pooled analysis of individual patient data from parallel randomized trials. Cancer 2024. [PMID: 38924035 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.35374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hot flashes are a common side effect of endocrine therapy (ET) that contribute to poor quality of life and decreased treatment adherence. METHODS Patients with breast cancer wo were receiving ET and experiencing hot flashes were enrolled through three parallel, randomized trials conducted in the United States, China, and South Korea. Participants were randomized to either immediate acupuncture (IA) or delayed acupuncture control (DAC). IA participants received 20 acupuncture sessions over 10 weeks, whereas DAC participants received usual care, then crossed over to acupuncture with a reduced intensity. The primary end point was a change in score on the endocrine symptom subscale of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT)-Endocrine Symptoms between baseline and week 10. Secondary end points included the hot flash score and the FACT-Breast score. A planned pooled analysis of individual patient data was performed using longitudinal mixed models. RESULTS In total, 158 women with stage 0-III breast cancer were randomized (United States, n = 78; China, n = 40; South Korea, n = 40). At week 10, IA participants reported statistically significant improvements in the endocrine symptom subscale score (mean change ± standard error: 5.1 ± 0.9 vs. 0.2 ± 1.0; p = .0003), the hot flash score (-5.3 ± 0.9 vs. -1.4 ± 0.9; p < .003), and the FACT-Breast total score (8.0 ± 1.6 vs. -0.01 ± 1.6; p = .0005) compared with DAC participants. The effect of the acupuncture intervention differed by site (p = .005). CONCLUSIONS Acupuncture led to statistically and clinically meaningful improvements in hot flashes, endocrine symptoms, and breast cancer-specific quality of life in women undergoing ET for breast cancer in the United States, China, and South Korea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weidong Lu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Anita Giobbie-Hurder
- Division of Biostatistics, Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Anna Tanasijevic
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sylvia Baedorf Kassis
- The Multi-Regional Clinical Trials Center of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sung Hwan Park
- Department of Surgery, Daegu Catholic University, School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Ju Jeong
- Department of Surgery, Daegu Catholic University, School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Im Hee Shin
- Department of Medical Statistics and Informatics, Daegu Catholic University, School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang Yao
- Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Hyun Jung Jung
- Department of Diagnostics, College of Korean Medicine, Daegu Haany University, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Zhiyuan Zhu
- Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Chao Bao
- Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Ting Bao
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - EunMee Yang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Barbara E Bierer
- The Multi-Regional Clinical Trials Center of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jennifer A Ligibel
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Long-Term Effects of Breast Cancer Therapy and Care: Calm after the Storm? J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11237239. [PMID: 36498813 PMCID: PMC9738151 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11237239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is still a lethal disease and the leading cause of death in women, undermining patients' survival and quality of life. Modern techniques of surgery and radiotherapy allow for the obtaining of good results in terms of survival, however they cause long-term side effects that persist over time, such as lymphedema and neuropathy. Similarly, the advent of new therapies such as endocrine therapy revolutionized breast cancer outcomes, but side effects are still present even in years of follow-up after cure. Besides the side effects of medical and surgical therapy, breast cancer is a real disruption in patients' lives considering quality of life-related aspects such as the distortion of body image, the psychological consequences of the diagnosis, and the impact on family dynamics. Therefore, the doctor-patient relationship is central to providing the best support both during treatment and afterwards. The aim of this review is to summarize the consequences of medical and surgical treatment on breast cancer patients and to emphasize the importance of early prevention of side effects to improve patients' quality of life.
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