PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF ACUPUNCTURE IN THE REHABILITATION OF WOMEN UNDERGOING SURGICAL TREATMENT OF BREAST CANCER IN RELATION TO THE STRENGTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE

Patricia S Giron, Cinira A S Haddad, Samantha KLA Rizzi, Thais L Pinheiro, Roberta PC Luz, Afonso CP Nazario, Gil Facina

“Objective: To investigate the benefits of acupuncture in relation to the shoulder muscle strength and quality of life in women undergoing surgical treatment for breast cancer.Methods: Women with breast cancer, aged 18 years or more, with pain level ≥ 3 in the Visual Analog Scale in shoulder girdle or upper limb three months after surgery, were included in this prospective study. The patients were randomly divided into two groups and received weekly treatment for 10 sessions. Kinesiotherapy group (G1): treated with pre-defined standard kinesiotherapy, lasting 30 minutes. Group Acupuncture + Kinesiotherapy (G2): treated with the same Kinesiotherapy group protocol followed by another 30 minutes of acupuncture using pre-defined points. Acupuncture points used were as follows: CV 3, SP 9, ST 36, KI 7, LR 3, GB 21, LI 15, HT 14, LU 5, LI 4, ST 38 and BL 60. Patients were evaluated at baseline, after five weeks and at the end of 10 weeks. Parameters studied were: clinical profile and socio-demographic data, muscle strength and quality of life. Results: 48 patients completed treatment, 24 in each group. Regarding shoulder muscle strength, all movements showed improvement and there was no statistical difference between groups. However, when analyzing intragroup changes, improvement of flexion and internal rotation were observed in G1 and increase of all movements were found in G2. Concerning EORTC, there was statistically significant difference between groups of pain symptom in the 5th session, with better score in patients of G2 in relation to G1. About EORTC intragroups results, G1 showed improvement in physical function, pain and insomnia; and G2 in performance roles, fatigue and pain.Conclusion: According to this prospective study, kinesiotherapy and acupuncture had a positive effect on the shoulder muscle strength and quality of life of patients.Keywords: 1. Breast cancer. 2. Rehabilitation. 3. Acupuncture. 4. Muscle Strength. 5. Quality of life.”