The Efficacy of Acupuncture as a Complementary Treatment for Pain and Anxiety After Breast Cancer Surgery
Acupuncture Therapy, Breast Neoplasms
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Acupuncture Therapy
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Diagnosis of breast cancer
- Primary breast cancer patient
- Candidate for breast cancer surgery (mastectomy)
- Aged between 20 and 70 years old
- Consenting to participate in the study and signing the informed consent form.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Have a previous history of breast cancer
- Have a previous diagnosis of a severe psychiatric disorder
- Present risk factors associated with breast cancer
- Do not speak Spanish or Catalan
- Are currently participating in another trial.
Sites / Locations
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
No Intervention
Acupuncture group
Control group
The experimental group will receive the standard treatment administered in these cases (analgesic regimen and nursing care procedures), in addition to the following acupuncture therapy. In the first visit (preoperative), the anamnesis and energy diagnosis of each patient will be carried out following the practices of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to design a personalized treatment based on the patient's medical history. A treatment of approximately 10 to 12 acupuncture points will be designed considering the TCM diagnosis and medical history of each patient. Both TCM diagnosis and the points used will be reassessed in each session. The points belonging to the upper extremity of the affected breast will be treated on the contralateral side, taking care not to insert any needle in the limb on the affected side. No points in the operated region will be used.
The control group will only receive standard care procedures (analgesic regimen and nursing care procedures), although they will have the same follow up visits as the patients in the intervention group to facilitate analysis of the study variables.