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Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols

Date Submitted: Mar 8, 2026
Date Accepted: May 8, 2026

The final, peer-reviewed published version of this preprint can be found here:

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

Kawasaki N, Ishiki H, Matsubara N, Ikegami T, Ishikawa A, Arakawa S, Takahashi A, Uchida T, Nameki Y, Horiguchi Y, Murata T, Takayama S, Suto A, Kihara K, Ariyoshi K, Oyamada S, Kayano A, Matsuoka H, Takagi T, Satomi E

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

JMIR Res Protoc 2026;15:e94381

DOI: 10.2196/94381

PMID: 42275444

Safety and Effectiveness of an Integrative Treatment of Acupuncture-Based Intervention in Breast Cancer Survivors with Post-Mastectomy Pain Syndrome (ABC-1 Study): A Study Protocol for a Single-Center, Single-Arm Exploratory Trial

  • Naruaki Kawasaki; 
  • Hiroto Ishiki; 
  • Naho Matsubara; 
  • Takako Ikegami; 
  • Ayaka Ishikawa; 
  • Sayaka Arakawa; 
  • Asuka Takahashi; 
  • Tomoko Uchida; 
  • Yukie Nameki; 
  • Yoko Horiguchi; 
  • Takeshi Murata; 
  • Shin Takayama; 
  • Akihiko Suto; 
  • Kota Kihara; 
  • Keisuke Ariyoshi; 
  • Shunsuke Oyamada; 
  • Ayako Kayano; 
  • Hiromichi Matsuoka; 
  • Tatsuya Takagi; 
  • Eriko Satomi

ABSTRACT

Background:

Post-mastectomy pain syndrome (PMPS) is a prevalent chronic pain condition that occurs after breast cancer surgery, often impairing quality of life in breast cancer survivors. Despite its prevalence, no standardized treatment has been established. Acupuncture has been reported to be an efficacious intervention for the management of chronic pain and may be an effective treatment for PMPS.

Objective:

This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for PMPS.

Methods:

This is a single-center, single-arm, prospective interventional study. Eligible participants are breast cancer patients who experience chronic postoperative pain in the chest, neck, or shoulder with a Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) score ≥4, are at least six months post–curative treatment, have no evidence of disease recurrence, and are not receiving anticancer treatment at enrollment. Participants receive acupuncture once weekly for 12 sessions, followed by a 4-week observation period. The primary endpoint is the change in the average pain NRS score from baseline to week 16.

Results:

The study commenced in October 2023 and is scheduled to continue through March 31, 2027. The first participant was enrolled on October 24, 2023.

Conclusions:

This study will evaluate the potential role of acupuncture in the management of PMPS. The results will contribute to the evidence base for acupuncture in PMPS and inform the design of future clinical studies. Clinical Trial: This study protocol was registered with the UMIN Clinical Trials Registry on August 14, 2023 (trial registration number: UMIN000051901).


 Citation

Please cite as:

Kawasaki N, Ishiki H, Matsubara N, Ikegami T, Ishikawa A, Arakawa S, Takahashi A, Uchida T, Nameki Y, Horiguchi Y, Murata T, Takayama S, Suto A, Kihara K, Ariyoshi K, Oyamada S, Kayano A, Matsuoka H, Takagi T, Satomi E

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

JMIR Res Protoc 2026;15:e94381

DOI: 10.2196/94381

PMID: 42275444

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© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.