Acupuncture for the Treatment of Hot Flashes in Breast Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVES: Primary * Determine whether acupuncture, compared to placebo, reduces the incidence of hot flashes in women with breast cancer. Secondary * Determine the long-term effects of acupuncture on hot flashes. OUTLINE: This a randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to concurrent treatment with selective estrogen receptor modulators, gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs, or aromatase inhibitors (yes vs no), concurrent use of hot flash medication or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) (yes vs no), baseline hot flash frequency (> 7 per day), and menopausal status at diagnosis (premenopausal vs postmenopausal). Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms. * Arm I (treatment): Patients receive 8 acupuncture treatments over 4 weeks. * Arm II (control): Patients receive 8 placebo acupuncture treatments over 4 weeks. Beginning at week 7, patients are offered 8 true acupuncture treatments over 4 weeks. Patients in both arms complete a "hot flash" diary for 1 week before treatment and then periodically during and after treatment. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed periodically. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 80 patients will be accrued for this study.