FAtigue In Radiotherapy and Acupuncture (FAIR-AC) in Breast and Prostate Cancer Patients: A Multicenter Prospective Randomized Phase II Trial

Purpose: A multicenter randomized study was conducted.Patients with breast cancer (BC) referred to post-operative radiotherapy (RT) and patients diagnosed with prostate cancer (PC) referred to radical or post-operative RT were enrolled to evaluate the efficacy of Acupuncture (A) in terms of fatigue (F).Methods: 220 patients were recruited and randomized between Arm 1: RT alone, and Arm 2: RT + A. F was assessed with a validated questionnaire (Brief Fatigue Inventory).F was assessed at the beginning of RT treatment, during RT and at follow-up.The questionnaire is composed of 9 items, each represented by a numerical value between 0 and 9 depending on the level of F perceived by the subject.The analysis was conducted both on the individual items and on an overall score that combines all of them.Results: 69 BC patients were subjected to RT alone and 63 to RT + A, for PC the numbers in the two arms were 43 and 45 respectively.Analyses were conducted on 183 subjects.In the BC group A offers a significant benefit in items 3, item 6, item 8 and in the overall index.In the PC group the low numbers produce results difficult to comment, especially for items 6 and item 7. The benefit of A appears more pronounced for BC patients with moderate F levels at baseline.Conclusion: A may be effective in reducing F for BC patients.No role emerges for PC subjects.