The Effects Of Baduanjin On Menopausal Symptoms In Patients With Breast Cancer Treated With Aromatase Inhibitors

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of Baduanjin on menopausal symptoms, fatigue, and circulating inflammatory biomarkers in breast cancer patients undergoing AI treatment. METHODS: Fifty-six patients with aromatase inhibitors treatment were identified from the Guangdong General Hospital and randomly assigned to control group (n = 15) and Baduanjin group (n = 41). The Baduanjin group participated in a supervised Baduanjin training program for 12 weeks (3 times/week), and the control group was instructed to maintain their current physical activity level. At baseline and after intervention, menopausal symptoms were estimated via the Kupperman index, and fatigue was evaluated through the Piper Fatigue Scale. Circulating inflammatory factors (IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α) were also assessed with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. RESULTS: A total of thirty-nine patients completed this trial. The decrease of arthralgia in Baduanjin group (-0.62 ± 0.82 is significantly lower than the control (-0.07 ± 0.59) (P < 0.05). Fatigue level represented by the changes of both affective meaning and cognitive/mood in Baduanjin group (-1.24 ± 2.45, -0.78 ± 2.15) were significantly lower than that in control group (1.06 ± 1.83,0.72 ± 1.34) (P < 0.05). Significant increase in circulating IL-6 was observed in Baduanjin group (2.54 ± 1.25) compared with control group (1.02 ± 0.47) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Baduanjin training could ameliorate menopausal symptoms and fatigue levels in patients with breast cancer undergoing aromatase inhibitors, accompanied by altered level of inflammatory biomarkers.