ArticleSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2025
Investigating biochemical markers of Acupuncture's effectiveness in managing climacteric syndrome in breast cancer patients: the FLAIR study.
Article in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBreast cancer (BC) remains a global health issue, with most women receiving adjuvant hormone therapy. Hot flushes and climacteric symptoms often compromise treatment adherence. Acupuncture has shown promise in alleviating these symptoms and improving quality of life (QoL). This prospective study aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying acupuncture's effects on menopausal symptoms in breast cancer patients receiving endocrine therapy, with a secondary focus on inflammatory biomarker changes.
methodsThis open-label biological study enrolled 37 early BC patients receiving endocrine treatment, and acupuncture treatment provided at IRST within the integrative care pathway, of whom 27 completed all evaluations. Participants underwent a 10-session weekly acupuncture program based on Traditional Chinese Medicine, using fixed points (SP6, CV4, LI11, BL11, GB39). Blood samples for biochemical and cytokine analysis (IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-8, IL-22, TNFα) were collected at baseline (T0), post-treatment (T1), and six months later (T2) during regular clinical and laboratory workups. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Green Climacteric Scale (GCS), EQ-5D-5L, and Brief Pain Inventory (BPI). The study followed STRICTA guidelines.
resultsAcupuncture significantly improved vasomotor and climacteric symptoms, with reduced GCS and hot flash scores at T1 and T2 (p < 0.0001). QoL and pain scores also significantly improved at both time points. Among the cytokines measured over time, a significant reduction in TNFα levels was observed (p = 0.006), though no correlation emerged between cytokine changes and clinical outcomes.
conclusionsAcupuncture proved effective in improving menopausal symptoms and QoL in BC patients receiving endocrine therapy. The modulation of TNFα suggests a potential biological role in the mechanism of symptom relief.
Indexed as
Identifiers
41264030What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.