OBJECTIVES:
* Assess the efficacy of a course of acupuncture in the management of cancer-related fatigue in a homogeneous sample of women with stage I, II, or IIIA breast cancer who have completed adjuvant chemotherapy.
* Assess the efficacy of self-acupuncture in comparison to therapist-administered acupuncture in sustaining, in the longer term, any effects observed with a 6-week course of acupuncture in these patients.
OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to study center and fatigue score (low vs moderate vs severe). Patients are randomized at 3:1 ratio (arm I: arm II) to 1 of 2 treatment arms.
* Arm I (experimental): Patients undergo a 20-minute acupuncture session once a week for 6 weeks. Patients also receive written information about fatigue and its possible management.
* Arm II (control): Patients undergo standard care. They also receive written information about fatigue as in arm I.
After 6 weeks, patients in arm I are again randomized to 1 of 3 arms.
* Arm A: Patients receive treatment as in arm I for 4 more weeks.
* Arm B: Patients receive treatment as in arm II for 4 more weeks.
* Arm C: Patients learn to self-acupuncture and do so weekly for 4 more weeks. All patients complete questionnaires on fatigue, hospital anxiety and depression, quality of life, and use of complementary therapies at baseline and periodically during study. Patient's sociodemographic and treatment characteristic records are also reviewed.
After completion of study therapy, patients are followed up periodically for 18 weeks.
