Use of acupuncture in women surviving breast cancer: an integrative review

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide. The human suffering associated with this disease is vast and complex, including physical, mental, and spiritual aspects, which last even after the end of cancer treatment. Acupuncture is an integrative practice with solid evidence for treating and managing symptoms related to cancer and its treatments. In this sense, this study aimed to carry out an integrative literature review on the benefits of acupuncture for the symptoms of women survivors of breast cancer. This is an integrative review carried out through the scientific databases PubMed and SciELO. The search strategy used was “survivorship” AND “breast cancer” AND “acupuncture”, respecting the period between 2017 and 2022. In all, 220 articles were located. Studies that considered other types of cancer and that did not focus on acupuncture in cancer survivors were excluded from the analysis. In the end, 26 articles related to the proposed theme remained, which were read and analyzed in full. Results were discussed separately on the evidence-based use of acupuncture on symptoms and long-term side effects related to breast cancer and its treatments. The material analyzed in this review showed that acupuncture is relatively safe and effective, when used properly and by trained and certified acupuncturists, and it is essential that health services and professionals involved in cancer treatment be trained in cancer survival programs and guide patients about the benefits of acupuncture and how to use it properly.