Efficacy of Acupuncture for Hot Flashes in Women Treated With Hormonal Therapy for Breast Cancer

Status

Terminated

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00209001

Enrollment

Registered

2005-09-21

Start date

2003-07-31

Completion date

2007-12-31

Last updated

2015-07-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Breast Cancer

Keywords

Breast Cancer

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to determine if acupuncture is effective in relieving hot flashes in women treated with hormonal therapy for breast cancer.

Detailed description

The purpose of this study is to determine if acupuncture is effective in relieving hot flashes in women treated with hormonal therapy for breast cancer. Hormonal therapy is one of the most common treatments for breast cancer in women. Unfortunately, many women on hormonal therapy suffer from hot flashes (the sudden sensation of heat throughout the face, neck and chest, with or without shivering and sweating). Many medicines have been used to treat hot flashes, but no single medication has been found to work reliably. Acupuncture has been shown to be effective for many conditions in Western medicine specifically for dry mouth in people who have received radiation to their head and neck, as well as for hot flashes in women during menopause (the change of life). In this study, we are investigating whether acupuncture is effective for women suffering hot flashes that result from their treatment of breast cancer.

Interventions

PROCEDUREAcupuncture

Acupuncture using enhanced Ming Men technique for 20 minutes, twice during 1st week, then once during week 2, 3,and 4.

PROCEDURESham acupuncture therapy

Sham procedure will be insertion of 5 needles for 20 minutes provided twice during first week, then once per week thereafter.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

FEMALE

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Female * 18 years of age or older * History of breast cancer who have received hormonal therapy * Personal history of hot flashes * Patients will be accepted if receiving therapy with traditional allopathic medicines if their hot flashes have persisted after two months

Exclusion criteria

* Receiving therapy with traditional allopathic medicines for hot flashes

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Define efficacy of acupuncture to points of the enhanced Ming Men technique for relief of hot flashes after hormonal therapy for breast cancer.	weekly evaluation up to 9 weeks

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026