Pharmacopuncture for Aromatase Inhibitor Induced Arthralgia (AIA)

This is a pragmatic clinical study designed to compare and evaluate the efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of pharmacopuncture treatment versus a control group in breast cancer patients (aged 19-75) suffering from aromatase inhibitor (AI)-induced arthralgia. Aromatase inhibitors are required for a significant number of patients with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer, and it is known that 50-96% of these patients experience associated arthralgia. While acupuncture is known to be effective for this condition, the efficacy of pharmacopuncture remains unknown; therefore, this study aims to investigate the utility of pharmacopuncture for AI-induced arthralgia. If assigned to the control group, you will receive necessary analgesics-such as acetaminophen, NSAIDs, tramadol, analgesics for rheumatoid arthritis, or neuropathic pain medications-based on the clinician's judgement. If assigned to the treatment group, you will receive pharmacopuncture treatment in addition to the aforementioned conventional medications.