Benefits of acupuncture as a complementary treatment in women with breast cancer: scoping review

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.515732605026

• Palavras-chave: Integrative Medicine; Complementary Therapies; Women; Sexuality; Breast Neoplasms.

• Keywords: Integrative Medicine; Complementary Therapies; Women; Sexuality; Breast Neoplasms.

• Abstract:

  Objectives: To map the existing scientific evidence on acupuncture protocols used to improve sexuality in women with breast cancer. Methods: A scoping review was conducted according to the JBI methodology and reported in accordance with PRISMA-ScR, using the MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL Complete, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews databases. Twelve articles met the inclusion criteria, involving women between 30 and 70 years of age with sexual changes who underwent specific manual acupuncture protocols in the context of breast cancer. Results: The included studies report associations between acupuncture and improvements in sexual dysfunction, observed in 60% of breast cancer survivors, with improved sexuality in quality of life. Conclusions: The evidence suggests that acupuncture is an integrative intervention with potential benefits for the sexuality and quality of life of women with breast neoplasms.