MONDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- Acupuncture appears to be quite effective at relieving the hot flashes that are a common side effect of androgen ablation therapy (AAT) in men with prostate cancer, according to research published in the April 1 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics.
Hani Ashamalla, M.D., of Weill Medical College of Cornell University in Brooklyn, N.Y., and colleagues evaluated the effect of acupuncture on relieving hot flashes in 14 men who had undergone AAT for treatment of prostate cancer.
The researchers found that the participants experienced a mean improvement in hot flash scores of 68.4 percent at two weeks and 89.2 percent at six weeks; the long-term, eight-month improvement was 80.3 percent. No side effects were observed during, immediately after, or eight months after treatment.
"Acupuncture provides excellent control of hot flashes in men with a history of AAT. The absence of side effects and the durable response at eight months are likely to be appealing to patients. Prospective randomized study is warranted to further evaluate this modality against medical therapy," the authors write.
Abstract
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