Objective: Insomnia is a highly prevalent and disturbing symptom in breast cancer patients under or post chemotherapy. If not appropriately treated, it can persist for years after the completion of cancer treatments. Acupuncture has been widely used for alleviating insomnia. The aim of this study is to examine the feasibility, efficacy and safety of acupuncture for chemotherapy-related insomnia among patients with breast cancer.
Materials and methods: This is a trial protocol for a randomized, sham-controlled, subject- and assessor-blinded clinical trial. A total of 138 eligible participants will be assigned randomly to acupuncture or sham control group at a ratio of 1:1. Participants in acupuncture group will receive electroacupuncture (EA) plus auricular acupressure (AA) treatment, while subjects in sham acupuncture group will receive sham EA plus sham AA. Both acupuncture and sham treatments will be given twice weekly for 6 weeks, followed by maintenance treatments once every 4 weeks for 12 weeks (15 sessions totally). The primary outcome is the change of Insomnia Severity Index score between baseline and the end of 6-week treatment. Secondary outcome measurements include Actiwatch, sleep diary, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast Cancer, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form, Brief Fatigue Inventory, Acupuncture Expectancy Scale, credibility, and adverse events. Participants will be followed up to 42 weeks.
Conclusions: This trial will expand our understanding of the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of acupuncture as a treatment for alleviating chemotherapy-related insomnia in patients with breast cancer. EA plus AA, if proven to be effective, can be implemented into routine settings to play a role in insomnia management for patients with breast cancer.
Keywords: auricular acupressure; breast cancer; chemotherapy; electroacupuncture; insomnia; sham control.