Men With Prostate Cancer: Optimizing Wellness by Enhanced Relief From Hot Flashes With Acupuncture

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United States. Many men with prostate cancer are treated with hormone therapy, also called androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). While this treatment is effective, it often causes bothersome side effects such as hot flashes, poor sleep, fatigue, and other physical and emotional symptoms. There is currently no standard treatment to help manage these side effects in men. Acupuncture is a non-drug treatment that has been shown to help reduce hot flashes and related symptoms in women receiving hormone therapy for breast cancer. However, much less is known about whether acupuncture is helpful for men receiving hormone therapy for prostate cancer. This study will test whether an acupuncture program, combined with usual lifestyle education, is feasible and acceptable for men undergoing ADT. The study will also explore whether acupuncture may help reduce hot flashes and improve related symptoms. A total of 24 men with prostate cancer receiving ADT will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: one group will begin acupuncture right away, and the other group will begin acupuncture after a delay, with regular check-ins during the waiting period. All participants will receive standard lifestyle education. Participants will be followed for about five months and will be asked to complete daily hot flash diaries, questionnaires about their symptoms and quality of life, and wear a Fitbit to track sleep. The results of this pilot study will help determine whether a larger study should be conducted to better understand the role of acupuncture in managing hormone therapy side effects in men with prostate cancer.