Self-applied Acupressure for Arthralgia-fatigue-sleep Disturbance in Breast Cancer

This study aims to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effects of self-applied acupressure on arthralgia-fatigue-sleep disturbance symptom cluster in breast cancer survivors receiving aromatase inhibitors. This is a preliminary randomized controlled trial, with a three-arm trial design including verum self-acupressure, sham self-acupressure, and usual care. Subjects will include 52 breast cancer survivors who are receiving aromatase inhibitors and have experienced a moderate level of joint pain and at least one of the two symptoms including fatigue and sleep disturbance. Subjects who are randomized to either the verum self-acupressure group (group A) or the sham self-acupressure group (group B) will receive up to 8 weeks of the intervention consisting of two components: (1) two individual/group acupressure training sessions over 2 weeks and (2) self-acupressure for 6 weeks. The method and duration of self-acupressure in the sham group will be the same to those in the verum intervention group. The control group will receive usual care. The outcome measures of this study will be related to feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effects of self-acupressure. Individual in-depth interviews will be conducted with selected participants in group A and B to understand their perceptions and perceived effectiveness of the intervention.