Is Acupuncture as Effective as Venlafaxine for Treating Hot Flashes in Breast Cancer Survivors?

Vasomotor symptoms are common and can be debilitating in breast cancer survivors, particularly those who receive antiestrogen therapy. Because estrogen is contraindicated in such patients, treatment options are limited. Investigators randomized menopausal women with stage 0–III breast cancer who had completed chemotherapy, were receiving tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor, and were experiencing bothersome hot flashes to venlafaxine or acupuncture for 12 weeks. Fifty participants (median age, 55; 64% white, 32% black, 4% Asian) were followed during treatment and for 1 additional year.

Vasomotor, depressive, and other quality-of-life symptoms improved to similar degrees in both groups during active treatment. During the first 4 weeks after tr…