Abstract
Abstract Abstract #3105 Background: Arthralgia affects postmenopausal women receiving aromatase inhibitors (AI) for breast cancer. Given the existing evidence for electro-acupuncture (EA) for treatment of osteoarthritis in the general population, this study aims to establish the feasibility of studying EA for treating AI-related arthralgia.
 Patients and Methods: Postmenopausal women with stage I-III breast cancer with joint pain related to AIs were enrolled in a pilot single arm trial of acupuncture. Acupuncture was provided twice a week for 2 weeks followed by 6 weekly treatments (total of 10 treatments over 8 weeks). Manualized protocol was based on Chinese medicine diagnosis of “Bi” syndrome with eletro-stimulation of needles around the painful joint(s). Pain severity of the modified Brief Pain Inventory was used as the primary outcome. Joint stiffness and Joint interference were secondary outcomes. Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) was used to assess clinical relevance. Fatigue and anxiety were also evaluated. Paired-t tests were used for analysis.
 Results: Twelve women were enrolled and all provided data for analysis. From baseline to the end of intervention, patients reported improvement in pain severity (5.3 to 1.9), stiffness (6.9 to 2.4), and joint symptom interference (4.7 to 0.8), all P<0.001; 11/12 reported joint symptoms “very much improved” based on PGIC . Subjects also reported significant decrease in fatigue (4.4 to 1.9, p=0.005) and anxiety (7.1 to 4.8, p=0.01). One subject withdrew from interventions due to an adverse event (herpes zoster) thought to be unrelated to acupuncture. Two subjects reported grade 1 self-limiting pain associated with acupuncture. No infection or development or worsening of lymphedema was observed.
 Conclusion: EA is a potentially safe and effective treatment for AI-related arthralgia; thus, a randomized controlled trial is warranted to establish the short term and long term efficacy and safety of EA in breast cancer survivors. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 3105.
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