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This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effects of acupuncture on cancer-related fatigue and quality of life in breast cancer survivors. Researchers searched seven databases up to May 2025, identifying thirteen randomised controlled trials involving 963 participants. Methodological quality was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation framework and the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool.
The pooled results showed that acupuncture significantly reduced cancer-related fatigue severity as measured by two validated fatigue scales: the Brief Fatigue Inventory and the Cancer Fatigue Scale. Acupuncture also improved clinical response rates and produced meaningful benefits for sleep quality, as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and for anxiety and depression, as assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.
Improvements in quality of life were significant when assessed using the disease-specific Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast tool, but did not reach significance when generic quality-of-life instruments were used. This suggests that breast-cancer-specific measures may be more sensitive to the benefits acupuncture offers this population. Acupuncture was found to be safe, with only minor adverse events reported across the included trials. The overall certainty of evidence ranged from moderate to very low, and the authors call for future high-quality randomised controlled trials using standardised protocols and longer follow-up periods.
Conclusion: Acupuncture appears to be a safe and effective complementary therapy for reducing cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer survivors, with quality-of-life benefits most clearly demonstrated using disease-specific outcome measures.
Source: Yang Z, Sun X, Dai Q and colleagues. Medicine (2026). View on PubMed (PMID 42363469) · doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000049393