A trial looking at acupuncture to help fatigue in women who have had treatment for breast cancer

The researchers found that acupuncture could help women with fatigue after breast cancer treatment.

This was a phase 3 trial. It recruited 302 women. It was a randomised trial. The women were put into 1 of 2 treatment groups. Neither they nor their doctor could choose which group they were in.

In the 2 groups were

• 227 women who had acupuncture once a week for 6 weeks
• 75 women who had usual care plus information on coping with fatigue

The women were asked to fill in 3 questionnaires when they were put into their groups, and again 6 weeks later. The questions asked how tired they felt and how they were feeling generally.

246 of the women completed the questionnaire at 6 weeks. Of these

• 181 had acupuncture
• 65 had usual care

They compared the answers in the questionnaires. They found that the women who had acupuncture reported feeling less fatigued than those who had usual care.

The trial team concluded that acupuncture could help women with fatigue after treatment for breast cancer.

We have based this summary on information from the team who ran the trial. The information they sent us has been reviewed by independent specialists (peer reviewed ) and published in a medical journal. The figures we quote above were provided by the trial team. We have not analysed the data ourselves.