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Relieving fatigue experienced by cancer patients
Could acupuncture help women experiencing breast cancer-related fatigue?
Why are we interested?
As many as 90% of breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy experience fatigue as a side effect of their treatment. And it is estimated that as many as 40% of breast cancer patients who have finished treatment also experience considerable persistent fatigue.
There is a real need to understand more about the effectiveness and safety of complementary therapies
in cancer patients
Many women with breast cancer use complementary therapies to try to help ease the side effects of their treatment. However, little is currently known about how they may work or how safe they are for patients to use alongside conventional treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
How is this being investigated?
Breakthrough Breast Cancer has launched the world’s largest and most advanced clinical trial to investigate whether acupuncture may help women with breast cancer cope with fatigue.
Importantly, the study will also look at whether giving women the opportunity to self-administer acupuncture is as effective as when given by a therapist. If self-administration is effective, this would help patients to maintain any improvement they experience in the longer term.
320 breast cancer patients will be involved in the trial, and recruitment will be carried out in breast cancer outpatient clinics of the Christie Hospital in Manchester and the Royal Marsden Hospital in London. The researchers will also receive referrals from outpatient clinics linked to these two hospitals.
The results of this research could improve the quality of life of breast cancer patients and add to the limited treatment choices for managing cancer-
related fatigue
Patients will be randomly selected to receive weekly sessions of acupuncture for 6 weeks or standard care, which includes written information, gentle exercise and rest. At the end of the 6 weeks, those patients who received acupuncture will either continue receiving weekly acupuncture by a therapist, undertake self acupuncture or receive no further treatment.
Patients' fatigue levels will be monitored throughout their treament, and the study is expected to last for 3 years.
How can I get involved?
If you would like more information about the ACU.FATIGUE study, or would like to take part in the study please email complementarytherapies@breakthrough.org.uk
Who is carrying out the research?
This study, called ACU.FATIGUE, is led by Professor Alex Molassiotis. He is Professor of Cancer & Supportive Care at The University of Manchester, and head of the Academic Cancer Nursing Research Centre at the Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.For further information
