Effects of acupuncture on menopausalvasomotor symptoms in Patients with Breast Cancer

Background: Vasomotor symptoms may significantly diminishan individual’s quality of life due to social embarrassment,sleep deprivation, and physical discomfort. Hormone replacementtherapy (HRT) is a highly effective treatment for thesesymptoms. However, HRT carries an increased risk of thromboembolicdisease, stroke, breast cancer, and possibly dementia.Complementary therapies, including acupuncture, arecommonly utilized for the treatment of menopausal vasomotorsymptoms. Despite this, studies investigating the efficacy ofacupuncture as a potential therapy for hot flashes have yieldedunpromising Results: This review article aims to examine theeffects of acupuncture on menopausal vasomotor symptoms inpatients diagnosed with breast cancer.Materials and Methods: A comprehensive search was conductedutilizing reputable databases including Ovid, Elsevier,PubMed, and Google Scholar. The search encompassed literaturepublished from the year ۲۰۱۰ to ۲۰۲۲ and was not restrictedby language. A total of ۳۵ articles were initially identified,and after thorough summarization and analysis, ۲۱ articles weredeemed relevant and selected for inclusion.Results: According to the reviews, it was determined that themajority of studies reported a significant reduction in the severityof hot flashes and an improvement in the quality of life forbreast cancer patients who underwent acupuncture treatment.These findings were based on the results of questionnaires.However, a meta-analysis of five trials comparing acupunctureto sham acupuncture found that both therapies resulted in reductionsin the severity and frequency of hot flashes, with nostatistically significant differences observed between the twogroups.Conclusion: Based on the available evidence, acupuncture appearsto be a viable complementary therapy for the managementof menopausal vasomotor symptoms, particularly in patientswith breast cancer. However, the current body of evidence supporting the efficacy of acupuncture is insufficient and as such,the results should be interpreted with prudence.

کلیدواژه ها:

Acupuncture ، breast cancer ، vasomotor ، menopause