Daily PubMed evidence board
Safety and Effectiveness of an Integrative Treatment of Acupuncture-Based Intervention in Survivors of Breast Cancer With Postmastectomy Pain Syndrome: Protocol for a Single-Center, Single-Arm Exploratory Trial.
This paper describes the protocol for a single-center, single-arm study testing whether a course of acupuncture-based, integrative treatment reduces chron…
Signal score58Research triage score
CertaintyLow-to-moderateVerify in full text
PMID42275444Source identifier
Research triage, not medical advice
Do not use this summary, score, or benefit-cost estimate to diagnose, treat, prescribe, or change care without reviewing the full study and consulting qualified professionals.
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Check full-text methods, eligibility, outcomes, risk of bias, harms, conflicts, funding, replication, and applicability.
Plain-English signal
This paper describes the protocol for a single-center, single-arm study testing whether a course of acupuncture-based, integrative treatment reduces chronic postmastectomy pain in breast cancer survivors. Eligible patients (at least 6 months after curative treatment, no active cancer therapy, NRS pain ≥4) will receive weekly sessions for 12 weeks and be followed to week 16. The main outcome is the change in average pain score. The trial began in October 2023 and had enrolled 24 participants at submission; results are planned by study completion in 2027. This protocol will provide early evidence about safety and potential effectiveness but does not include a control group.
Why it matters
- Addresses postmastectomy pain syndrome (PMPS), a common chronic pain condition after breast cancer surgery that impairs survivors' quality of life.
- Evaluates an integrative acupuncture-based intervention where no standardized PMPS treatment exists, potentially informing symptomatic care for breast cancer survivors.
- Findings could influence design of future randomized trials and clinical practice guidance for chronic post-surgical pain in this specific survivor population.
Primary outcomes
- Change in average pain numerical rating scale (NRS) score from baseline to week 16
Effect summary
Abstract-reported hypothesis: acupuncture has evidence for chronic pain management and may reduce pain from PMPS. This study will measure change in average pain NRS after a 12-session, weekly acupuncture-based integrative intervention with 4-week observation; no effect estimates are reported in the abstract.
Benefit-cost lens
| Quick take | This protocol signals possible benefit of acupuncture for PMPS but lacks comparative effect sizes, costs, and broader population parameters needed to estimate net benefit. |
|---|---|
| BCR anchor | 2 |
| Time horizon | 3 |
| Discount rate | 0.03 |
| Assumptions | Assessment based solely on PubMed metadata and abstract; full text required to verify methods, actual effect sizes, harms, and resource use. |
Benefit-cost fields are assumptions-based unless explicitly source-derived. Treat them as prompts for deeper economic review.
Risk of bias
| Tool | rapid-abstract-screen |
|---|---|
| Verdict | Some concerns |
| Notes | Single-center, single-arm design (no control group) and reliance on patient-reported pain outcomes increase risk of bias (selection, placebo, and measurement effects). Assessment is based only on abstract and metadata; a full risk-of-bias assessment requires the complete protocol and trial conduct details. |
Harms, equity, conflicts & implementation
| Implementation | Full protocol review for treatment details (acupuncture modality, provider training, session duration), staffing, space, reimbursement, patient selection criteria, safety monitoring, and pathways for scaling; cost and workforce estimates needed for local implementation. |
|---|---|
| Equity impact | Unclear from abstract; equity effects depend on access to acupuncture services, costs, and whether vulnerable subgroups were included or excluded - need subgroup data from full text. |
| Harms | Not reported in abstract. Safety monitoring and adverse event reporting are planned per protocol but specifics and observed harms (if any) are unknown until trial reporting. |
| Replication | Unknown from automated PubMed triage. |
Source links — verify original
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