A trial looking at acupuncture to help fatigue in women who have had treatment for breast cancer
Cancer type:
Status:
Phase:
This trial looked at acupuncture to help women with tiredness (fatigue) following chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer.
Research shows that about 40 out of every 100 women (40%) successfully treated for their breast cancer have moderate to severe levels of fatigue. Sometimes it continues for years after treatment has finished. This can have a big impact on your quality of life, causing distress and affecting everyday tasks.
Acupuncture is a type of complementary therapy. It treats certain conditions with fine needles put into the skin at particular points on the body. In this trial everyone had one of the following
- Acupuncture
- Usual care and education in coping with fatigue (but no acupuncture)
The aim of this trial was to find out if acupuncture could help with fatigue after treatment for breast cancer.
Summary of results
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 (
) and published in a medical journal. The figures we quote above were provided by the trial team. We have not analysed the data ourselves.
Recruitment start:
Recruitment end:
How to join a clinical trial
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Chief Investigator
Professor Alexander Molassiotis
Supported by
Breakthrough Breast Cancer
King's College London
National Institute for Health Research Cancer Research Network (NCRN)
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
University of Manchester
If you have questions about the trial please contact our cancer information nurses
Freephone 0808 800 4040
