Nerve block reduces hot flushes and aids sleep

Blocking parts of the nervous system that regulate body temperature can reduce hot flushes and improve sleep in survivors of breast cancer. Hot flushes and sleep dysfunction are common in breast cancer survivors, particularly those who use anti-oestrogen agents like tamoxifen. Conventional treatments, such as hormone therapy or herbal remedies, have proven either ineffective or have been linked to detrimental side effects. Blocking the function of "stellate cells"—star-shaped nerve cell bodies found at the base of the neck—has been used to treat various conditions for more than 60 years. To investigate if the nerve block therapy can provide a safe and effective alternative to current therapies used to treat hot flushes and sleep dysfunction in breast cancer survivors, researchers in America studied 13 survivors of breast cancer with severe hot flushes and night awakenings who received targeted delivery of a stellate cell blocker. Women were given one block, but during the course of the study they were permitted to have another if they thought that the beneficial effects were waning. Five women had one block and eight had two blocks. Symptoms were assessed one week before the treatment and then every week after the treatment for 12 weeks. It was found that with treatment, the average number of hot flushes per week fell from 80 to 8 and severe hot flushes had become almost nil. Also, night awakenings dropped from almost 20 per week prior to treatment to a little above one per week. The findings suggest that this type of nerve block can provide survivors of breast cancer with relief from hot flushes and sleep dysfunction with few or no side effects. As a result, this could improve the overall quality of life and increase compliance with anti-oestrogen medications for breast cancer.