Acupuncture or Medication in Reducing Pain in Postmenopausal Women With Breast Cancer and Joint Pain

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Diagnosis of breast cancer
• Concurrent therapy with anastrozole for the adjuvant treatment of breast cancer
• Must have moderate or worse arthralgia, as defined by a baseline WOMAC pain scale score ≥ 48
• * Patients with other underlying pain syndromes (e.g., osteoarthritis) are eligible, but the arthralgia must have worsened since starting anastrozole
• Hormone receptor-positive disease
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Post-menopausal status meeting the following criteria:
• * At least 12 months without spontaneous menstrual bleeding
• * History of bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy with or without hysterectomy
• * Age \> 55 with hysterectomy with or without oophorectomy
• * Age \< 55 with hysterectomy without oophorectomy or with unknown status, and serum FSH in post-menopausal range within the past 4 weeks
• Not needle phobic
• Patients with a contraindication to NSAIDs (i.e., prior gastrointestinal bleed secondary to NSAIDs or severe renal insufficiency) are eligible, but will be treated with alternative analgesics such as narcotics or acetaminophen
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• See Disease Characteristics
• Concurrent chronic narcotics or NSAIDs allowed, but doses must be stable for ≥ the past month
• Concurrent antidepressant medications allowed, but doses must be stable for ≥ the past 3 months
• At least 6 months since prior acupuncture
• No prior acupuncture for aromatase inhibitor-associated pain syndrome