OBJECTIVES: Antiestrogen therapy can cause vasomotor symptoms similar to those 
occurring during menopause, including hot flashes. Recent studies suggest that 
acupuncture is effective in reducing vasomotor symptoms in patients with breast 
cancer receiving tamoxifen. The purpose of this study was to assess the 
feasibility and safety of acupuncture for treatment of hot flashes in Korean 
patients with breast cancer receiving antiestrogen therapy.
DESIGN: This was a prospective single-arm observational study using before and 
after measurements.
SETTINGS/LOCATION: The study was located at the East-West Medical Center at 
Daegu Catholic University Medical Center, Daegu, Korea.
SUBJECTS: The subjects were 10 patients with breast cancer who were undergoing 
antiestrogen therapy with tamoxifen or anastrozole and who were suffering from 
hot flashes.
INTERVENTIONS: Acupuncture was administered 3 times a week for 4 consecutive 
weeks, for 20±5 minutes at each session.
OUTCOME MEASURES: The outcome measure was severity of hot flashes assessed by 
visual analogue scale (VAS) and total hot flash score.
RESULTS: During treatment, severity of hot flashes was reduced by 70%-95% in all 
patients. Acupuncture significantly alleviated severity of hot flashes assessed 
by a visual analogue scale (F=30.261; p<0.001) as well as the total hot flash 
score (F=21.698; p=0.006). Four (4) weeks after the final treatment, symptoms 
were not aggravated.
CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture appeared to provide effective relief from hot flashes 
among Korean women receiving antiestrogen therapy after surgery for breast 
cancer, and the effects lasted for at least 1 month after termination of 
treatment. A randomized controlled prospective study with a larger sample size 
is required to clarify the role of acupuncture in the management of hot flashes 
in Korean patients with breast cancer.