Auricular acupuncture: A novel treatment for vasomotor symptoms associated with luteinizing-hormone releasing hormone agonist treatment for prostate cancer

OBJECTIVES:

To evaluate the role of auricular acupuncture (AA) in men receiving luteinizing-hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) analogues for carcinoma of the prostate, as vasomotor symptoms can affect the quality of life in such men, and similar symptoms in postmenopausal women have been successfully treated with AA.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:

In all, 60 consecutive patients with prostate cancer and on LHRH agonist treatment (median age 74 years, range 58-83) consented to weekly AA for 10 weeks. The validated 'Measure Yourself Concerns and Well-being' questionnaire (a six-point scale to assess symptom severity) was used to assess concerns and well-being before and after treatment.

RESULTS:

All men completed the treatment with no adverse events recorded, apart from transient exacerbation of symptoms in two men; 95% of patients reported a decrease in the severity of symptoms, from a mean 5.0 to 2.1 (Student's t-test, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS:

The symptomatic improvement was at levels comparable with that from pharmacotherapy, and cost analysis showed AA to be a viable alternative. Larger randomized studies are needed to fully evaluate AA against more conventional treatments, and these are planned. © 2008 The Authors.