• Chao Hsing Yeh, Wei-Chun Lin, Lorna Kwai-Ping Suen, Na-Jin Park, Lisa J Wood, G J van Londen, and Howard Bovbjerg Dana D University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and Hillman Cancer Center..
• School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
• Oncol Nurs Forum. 2017 Jul 1; 44 (4): 476-487.

Purpose/ObjectivesTo assess the feasibility of auricular point acupressure to manage aromatase inhibitor-induced arthralgia.
.DesignWait list control design.
.SettingOutpatient clinics and oncology center.
.Sample20 women with aromatase inhibitor-induced arthralgia.
.MethodsAfter baseline data were collected, participants waited one month before they received acupressure once per week for four weeks at a convenient time. The baseline data served as the control comparison. Self-reported measures and blood samples were obtained at baseline, at preintervention, weekly during the intervention, and at post-intervention.
.Main Research VariablesThe primary outcomes included pain intensity, pain interference, stiffness, and physical function. Inflammatory cytokines and chemokines were tested.
.FindingsAfter the four-week intervention, participants reported decreases in worst pain and pain interference, and improvements in physical function, cancer-related symptom severity, and interference. The proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines displayed a trend of a mean percentage reduction. The anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-13 increased from pre- to postintervention.
.ConclusionsAuricular point acupressure is feasible and may be effective in managing arthralgia in breast cancer survivors.
.Implications For NursingNurses can administer acupressure in clinical settings, which could enhance the management of aromatase inhibitor-induced arthralgia and contribute to a shift from traditional disease-based biomedical models to a broader, integrative, medical paradigm for managing aromatase inhibitor-induced arthralgia.

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