Acupuncture Versus Venlafaxine for the Management of Vasomotor Symptoms in Patients With Hormone Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Vasomotor symptoms are common adverse effects of antiestrogen hormone treatment in conventional breast cancer care. Hormone replacement therapy is contraindicated in patients with breast cancer. Venlafaxine (Effexor), the therapy of choice for these symptoms, has numerous adverse effects. Recent stu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of clinical oncology Vol. 28; no. 4; pp. 634 - 640
Main Authors:	WALKER, Eleanor M, RODRIGUEZ, Alba I, KOHN, Beth, BALL, Ronald M, PEGG, Jan, POCOCK, Jeffrey R, NUNEZ, Ramon, PETERSON, Ed, JAKARY, Susan, LEVINE, Robert A
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Alexandria, VA American Society of Clinical Oncology 01-02-2010
Subjects:	Acupuncture Therapy Adult Aged Analgesics Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation - therapeutic use Biological and medical sciences Breast Neoplasms - metabolism Breast Neoplasms - pathology Breast Neoplasms - therapy Cyclohexanols - therapeutic use Estrogen Replacement Therapy Female Follow-Up Studies Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics Hot Flashes Humans Mammary gland diseases Medical sciences Middle Aged Postmenopause Prognosis Quality of Life Receptors, Estrogen - metabolism Receptors, Progesterone - metabolism Survival Rate Treatment Outcome Tumors Venlafaxine Hydrochloride Human Breast disease Serotonin Oriental medicine Phénéthylamine derivatives Breast cancer Malignant tumor Catecholamine Reuptake inhibitor Randomized controlled trial Mammary gland diseases Cancerology Clinical management Treatment Folk medicine Vasomotor disorder Neurotransmitter Venlafaxine Norepinephrine Acupuncture Comparative study Cancer Hormonal receptor
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Summary:	Vasomotor symptoms are common adverse effects of antiestrogen hormone treatment in conventional breast cancer care. Hormone replacement therapy is contraindicated in patients with breast cancer. Venlafaxine (Effexor), the therapy of choice for these symptoms, has numerous adverse effects. Recent studies suggest acupuncture may be effective in reducing vasomotor symptoms in menopausal women. This randomized controlled trial tested whether acupuncture reduces vasomotor symptoms and produces fewer adverse effects than venlafaxine. Fifty patients were randomly assigned to receive 12 weeks of acupuncture (n = 25) or venlafaxine (n = 25) treatment. Health outcomes were measured for up to 1 year post-treatment. Both groups exhibited significant decreases in hot flashes, depressive symptoms, and other quality-of-life symptoms, including significant improvements in mental health from pre- to post-treatment. These changes were similar in both groups, indicating that acupuncture was as effective as venlafaxine. By 2 weeks post-treatment, the venlafaxine group experienced significant increases in hot flashes, whereas hot flashes in the acupuncture group remained at low levels. The venlafaxine group experienced 18 incidences of adverse effects (eg, nausea, dry mouth, dizziness, anxiety), whereas the acupuncture group experienced no negative adverse effects. Acupuncture had the additional benefit of increased sex drive in some women, and most reported an improvement in their energy, clarity of thought, and sense of well-being. Acupuncture appears to be equivalent to drug therapy in these patients. It is a safe, effective and durable treatment for vasomotor symptoms secondary to long-term antiestrogen hormone use in patients with breast cancer.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-News-1 ObjectType-Feature-3 content type line 23
ISSN:	0732-183X 1527-7755
DOI:	10.1200/JCO.2009.23.5150