Presentation summary

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women globally. Hormone therapy is crucial for reducing recurrence, but it often leads to severe side effects, including hot flashes and poor sleep quality, causing asignificant decline in the quality of life. These symptoms, associated with iatrogenic menopause, present management challenges. Acupuncture has been traditionally used to alleviate various health conditions with minimal side effects. As a complementary therapy, it has shown promise in addressing the symptoms related to hormone therapy in breast cancer survivors.

This study was conducted at the Integrated Medicine Unit of Careggi University Hospital and involved 40breast cancer survivors experiencing iatrogenic menopause. Participants underwent assessment based onTraditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) criteria, with acupuncture points selected according to individual diagnoses and prominent symptoms. The treatment protocol consisted of eight 20-minute weekly acupuncturesessions performed by certified acupuncturists. The Hot Flash Related Daily Interference Scale (HFRDIS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used to measure outcomes, with data collected at baselineand after 8 weeks.

Statistical analysis revealed significant improvements in both HFRDIS (mean difference = 1.04, p = 0.028) and PSQI (mean difference = 2.89, p < 0.001) scores after the intervention. Additionally, notable improvements were observed in subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep disturbances, use of sleeping medications, and daytime dysfunction. No significant changes were reported for sleep duration and habitual sleep efficiency. These findings suggest that acupuncture may offer a non-pharmacological option to alleviate the adverse effects of hormone therapy, although larger, controlled studies are necessary to confirm these results.

This preliminary evidence supports acupuncture as a potential approach to improve the quality of life for breast cancer.