Acupuncture for Treating Hot Flashes in Breast Cancer Patients

Hot flashes are common side effects in patients receiving cancer treatment. Although more common in women, they can also occur in men (for example, during prostate cancer treatment). They are most common in women receiving breast cancer treatment. Although arising from effects on vascular structures, the mechanism is complex. Many patients assume this potentially very difficult condition is the natural course of disease or treatment and do not tell their physician. However, hot flashes are not without solutions; many options exist, including hormonal drugs, nonhormonal drugs and complementary medicine methods.

Hot flashes affect, of every 3 postmenopausal breast cancer patients, 2 women. Almost half also experience night sweats. Breast cancer is absent in postmenopausal women whose hot flash frequency is around 20%.

- Related topic: Breast Cancer Symptoms, Stages and Treatment

One method used to treat hot flashes is acupuncture. Acupuncture may relieve hot flashes quite effectively and thereby improve quality of life.

Acupuncture’s effect on hot flashes in women with breast cancer

One of oncology’s most respected scientific publications, Journal of Clinical Oncology, published a study in March 2016 examining acupuncture’s effect on hot flashes in women with breast cancer.

The study included 190 women with breast cancer. For hot flash complaints, 105 received good supportive care and 85 received acupuncture plus good supportive care. After 10 traditional acupuncture sessions, scales assessed hot flashes as the primary outcome and menopausal symptoms and quality of life as secondary outcomes. The study found significantly lower hot flash scores and higher quality of life with acupuncture added to good supportive care.

Conclusion

Rather than completely rejecting alternative and complementary medicine practices, integrating those with scientifically proven benefit and positive quality-of-life contributions, such as acupuncture, into clinical practice would be a very appropriate approach.