Randomized sham-controlled pilot trial of weekly electro-acupuncture for the prevention of taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy in women with early stage breast cancer

• Published in: Breast cancer research and treatment Vol. 156; no. 3; pp. 453 - 464
• Main Authors: Greenlee, Heather, Crew, Katherine D., Capodice, Jillian, Awad, Danielle, Buono, Donna, Shi, Zaixing, Jeffres, Anne, Wyse, Sharon, Whitman, Wendy, Trivedi, Meghna S., Kalinsky, Kevin, Hershman, Dawn L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.04.2016; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acupuncture; Adult; Aged; Breast cancer; Breast Neoplasms - drug therapy; Breast Neoplasms - ethnology; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; Bridged-Ring Compounds - adverse effects; Bridged-Ring Compounds - therapeutic use; Cancer research; Cancer therapies; Chemotherapy; Clinical Trial; Clinical trials; Cytotoxicity; Double-Blind Method; Electroacupuncture - methods; Female; Health aspects; Humans; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Oncology; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases - chemically induced; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases - prevention & control; Pilot Projects; Prevention; Taxoids - adverse effects; Taxoids - therapeutic use; Treatment Outcome; Breast cancer; Acupuncture; Taxane; Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy; Electro-acupuncture
• ISSN: 0167-6806; 1573-7217; 1573-7217
• DOI: 10.1007/s10549-016-3759-2

To investigate the effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) as a non-pharmacological intervention to prevent or reduce chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy of taxane. Women with stage I-III breast cancer scheduled to receive taxane therapy were randomized to receive a standardized protocol of 12 true or sham EA (SEA) weekly treatments concurrent with taxane treatment. Subjects completed the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form (BPI-SF), Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Taxane neurotoxicity subscale (FACT-NTX), and other assessments at baseline and weeks 6, 12, and 16. A total of 180 subjects were screened, 63 enrolled and 48 completed week 16 assessments. Mean age was 50 with 25 % white, 25 % black, and 43 % Hispanic; 52 % had no prior chemotherapy. At week 12, both groups reported an increase in mean BPI-SF worst pain score, but no mean differences were found between groups (SEA 2.8 vs. EA 2.6, P  = .86). By week 16, the SEA group returned to baseline, while the EA group continued to worsen (SEA 1.7 vs. EA 3.4, P  = .03). The increase in BPI-SF worst pain score was 1.62 points higher in the EA group than in the SEA group at week 16 ( P  = .04). In a randomized, sham-controlled trial of EA for prevention of taxane-induced CIPN, there were no differences in pain or neuropathy between groups at week 12. Of concern, subjects on EA had a slower recovery than SEA subjects. Future studies should focus on EA for treatment as opposed to prevention of CIPN.