Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25077452›Full record

Trial reportCancer2014

Electroacupuncture for fatigue, sleep, and psychological distress in breast cancer patients with aromatase inhibitor-related arthralgia: a randomized trial.

Jun J Mao, John T Farrar, Deborah Bruner, Jarcy Zee, Marjorie Bowman, Christina Seluzicki, Angela DeMichele, Sharon X Xie

Open access · bronzeAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Cancer, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 94 papers, 31 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
94citing papers in PubMed, 31 pooled it
5.1field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

94 citing papers in PubMed, 31 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 157 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. The effectiveness of electroacupuncture in the treatment of cancer-related fatigue: a systematic review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
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  13. Acupuncture for radiation-induced toxicity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review based on PICO criteria.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2022
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  18. Effectiveness of Complementary Therapies in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021
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34 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Jun J MaoAbramson Cancer Center, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
John T Farrar
Deborah Bruner
Jarcy Zee
Marjorie Bowman
Christina Seluzicki
Angela DeMichele
Sharon X Xie
University of Pennsylvania · USEmory University · USHospital of the University of Pennsylvania · USWright State University · US

Funding

Mental Health Biostatistics Training ProgramT32MH065218 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI BILKER, WARREN B. · 2003 to 2018
$1.3M
Elucidating the placebo effects of acupuncture: hot flashes as a clinical modelK23AT004112 · NCCIH · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI MAO, JUN J · 2008 to 2012
$659k
Acupuncture and aromatase inhibitor ralated arthralgiaR21AT004695 · NCCIH · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI MAO, JUN J · 2009 to 2011
$624k
NCCIH NIH HHS K23 AT004112NCCIH NIH HHS R21 AT004695NCI NIH HHS L30 CA110987NIMH NIH HHS T32 MH065218
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlthough fatigue, sleep disturbance, depression, and anxiety are associated with pain in breast cancer patients, it is unknown whether acupuncture can decrease these comorbid symptoms in cancer patients with pain. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on fatigue, sleep, and psychological distress in breast cancer survivors who experience joint pain related to aromatase inhibitors (AIs).

methodsThe authors performed a randomized controlled trial of an 8-week course of EA compared with a waitlist control (WLC) group and a sham acupuncture (SA) group in postmenopausal women with breast cancer who self-reported joint pain attributable to AIs. Fatigue, sleep disturbance, anxiety, and depression were measured using the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The effects of EA and SA versus WLC on these outcomes were evaluated using mixed-effects models.

resultsOf the 67 randomly assigned patients, baseline pain interference was associated with fatigue (Pearson correlation coefficient [r]=0.75; P < .001), sleep disturbance (r=0.38; P=.0026), and depression (r=0.58; P < .001). Compared with the WLC condition, EA produced significant improvements in fatigue (P=.0095), anxiety (P=.044), and depression (P=.015) and a nonsignificant improvement in sleep disturbance (P=.058) during the 12-week intervention and follow-up period. In contrast, SA did not produce significant reductions in fatigue or anxiety symptoms but did produce a significant improvement in depression compared with the WLC condition (P=.0088).

conclusionsCompared with usual care, EA produced significant improvements in fatigue, anxiety, and depression; whereas SA improved only depression in women experiencing AI-related arthralgia.

Indexed as

AgedAnastrozoleAndrostadienesAnxietyAromatase InhibitorsArthralgiaBreast NeoplasmsDepressionElectroacupunctureFatigueFemaleHumansLetrozoleMiddle AgedNitrilesQuality of LifeAnastrozoleAndrostadienesAromatase InhibitorsexemestaneLetrozoleNitrilesTriazolesacupuncturearomatase inhibitorsbreast neoplasmfatiguepsychological distresssleep

Identifiers

PMID25077452
PMCPMC4239308
OpenAlexW1487840892

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.